Reply to By the numbers: A dispassioned evaluation of Hardy (compared to Deal and Wilson)

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "By the numbers: A dispassioned evaluation of Hardy (compared to Deal and Wilson)"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

You're responding to my post. What you seem to be saying is that real life is more complicated than a 2-player model. Well, yes, can't argue with you there. But it's common to start with a simple model and then make our best effort to relax assumptions and add complexity. It's reasonable for me to debate with OP which of several competing game theory models might best apply to a given real life situation. It's not the end of the conversation, but it's a reasonable beginning. And as you may know, the debate over PD and stag hunt is a tricky one in general. 
[/quote]

I am have not studied modern behavioral econ, my training is further back than that.  However in my experience economists very often present models with simplifying assumptions, acknowledge that they are simplifying assumptions, and then leap into details and mathematical complexity that are meaningless once you relax a key, obvious, unrealistic assumption. The promised relaxation gets lost.

I see that happening here. I am skeptical that debate about which 2 player model is the better fit has any real bearing on this situation which is a multiplayer reality (and not only among the IB family decision makers, but also OOB families, Hardy Admin, and DCPS admin, none of whom are completely exogenous)

I think the two player models serve to give us a way of thinking about things, and for that reason are useful. I do not think debating which is closer to reality is useful. I think a discussion of the real heterogeneity, and how that maps to potential and likely shifts in demographics is more useful.   [/quote]

Me again. Yes, your instincts are consistent with heterodoxy and also with behavioral econ and some other strains. And for the record, I am empathetic to all of this and I also think that sometimes modern micro is as much mathematical masturbation as it is social science research. But this is for discussion over a beer sometime and is just way beyond this thread. My gesture in this direction was when I provided the list of 10 reasons, which was an attempt to at least begin to explain the unquantifiable, the reasons why people make school choices other than looking at standardized test results.

One note though, I am not sure that the views of OOB matter much to this game. Not trying to be callous, and not saying their views don't matter in general or that they are not valuable contributors to the school. But to the extent that any IB can take the spot of an OOB at 6th, by the simple act of choosing Hardy, it is really the IB who matter for this game. The IB control the future of Hardy. Of course school admin and central office also play a role. In determining how many total seats (which also affects IB %), in employing strategies to make the school more attractive (the dreaded uniforms), and so on.

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics