1 Matching Annotations
  1. Oct 2017
    1. Someone might tell you that Plymouth, New Hampshire only has a handful of violent crimes per year. They might also tell you that NYC has thousands more violent crimes per year. That makes Plymouth sounds so much safer, but in order to know for sure, we have to set the numbers into context, asking how many crimes per capita (or per person) each location has. Small pieces of information (such as how many children in a certain school go without breakfast each morning) are more illuminating if they are presented in relationship to other pieces of information (such as the poverty level of the town, the subsidized meal programs at the school, the start time of the school day, the funding formula for the school district, etc.).

      Statistics in developing questions and solutions is a time-consuming, but rewarding process if done with the right intent and with careful monitoring of the process to ensure a lack of bias. People don't know this, but it is incredibly easy to lie with stats and never really be caught without going over the details with a fine tooth comb, as often the data is presented with a limited amount of background information. Critical thought is needed in interpreting information presented so as to understand what is being shown and if it properly matches the needs of what is being asked.