False Assumption Registry

Education

23 entries in this category

• Social Media Safe for Adolescents
  Social media is a reasonably safe consumer product for children and adolescents even when used heavily.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 10 sources
• Affirmative Action Causes No Reverse Discrimination
  Civil rights protections and affirmative action do not discriminate against white people.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 6 sources
• Race Equals Self-Identification
  Racial categories on official forms like college applications and censuses are flexible personal self-identities rather than fixed biological ancestries.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 3 sources
• 3-Cueing System Teaches Reading
  Children learn to read the same way they acquire spoken language, by guessing words from contextual, semantic, and syntactic cues rather than systematic phonics.
  Mainstream now strongly agrees this assumption was false 2 sources
• Mississippi Miracle is Selection Bias
  Mississippi's rise in fourth-grade NAEP reading scores stems mainly from retaining weak third-graders rather than real reforms like phonics.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 2 sources
• Pretendians Are Authentic Natives
  Individuals claiming Native American or First Nations ancestry based on family stories qualify as indigenous for academic, publishing, and grant benefits.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 2 sources
• School Spending Closes Racial Gaps
  Racial gaps in school achievement are primarily caused by lower spending on black students, and increasing spending will narrow those gaps.
  Mainstream now strongly agrees this assumption was false 2 sources
• Test-Optional Admissions Select Talent
  Eliminating standardized test requirements allows colleges to better identify academically superior applicants through holistic review.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 2 sources
• Learning Styles Improve Instruction Outcomes
  Matching teaching methods to students' preferred learning styles such as visual, auditory, or kinesthetic enhances learning outcomes.
  Mainstream now strongly agrees this assumption was false 1 sources
• Rising Diagnoses Signal Mental Illness Epidemic
  Sharp increases in mental health diagnoses among children reflect a genuine surge in the prevalence of mental disorders.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Robert E. Lee Was a Traitor
  Robert E. Lee devoted his best efforts to the destruction of the United States government.
  Mainstream still holds this assumption to be true despite evidence against it 1 sources
• Relaxed Admissions Preserve Diploma Value
  Admitting larger numbers of underprepared lower-income students to UC via relaxed standards will lift them out of poverty without devaluing the UC diploma.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 1 sources
• Gifted Programs Shut Out Minorities
  Gifted programs shut out high-performing Black and Latino children from low-income families due to systemic flaws that districts can fix.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• 80% Blacks Merit in Elite Institutions
  In elite institutions, 80% of blacks got in via merit and 20% through quotas.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Colleges Treat Asians Like Whites
  Asian American students face no additional barriers relative to white students when applying to selective colleges.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 1 sources
• Class Quotas Substitute for Race Quotas
  Class-based affirmative action will benefit blacks in elite admissions as much as race-based quotas by capturing the effects of systemic racial injustice through socioeconomic status.
  Mainstream still holds this assumption to be true despite evidence against it 1 sources
• Iowa Football Racially Biased Against Blacks
  University of Iowa football program exhibits serious racial bias causing black athletes to transfer at higher rates than whites.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 1 sources
• Harvard Complies with Affirmative Action Ban
  Harvard reduced black freshman enrollment after the Supreme Court's ban on race-conscious admissions.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Racial Preferences Aid Naval Academy
  Racial preferences in US Naval Academy admissions improve diversity without significantly harming merit or officer quality.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• Progressive Reforms Aid Low Performers
  Relaxing school accountability after No Child Left Behind and adopting progressive education methods would improve outcomes for low-performing students.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• AP Score Inflation Closes Racial Gaps
  Inflating scoring standards on AP exams will narrow persistent racial performance gaps and prepare underrepresented students for college success.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 1 sources
• SAT Recentering Preserves Top-End Discrimination
  Recentering SAT scores in 1995 and 2017 maintained the test's ability to finely distinguish elite talent without enabling admissions of lower-scoring activists.
  Experts are divided on whether this assumption was actually false 1 sources
• SAT/ACT Scores Are Biased Predictors
  Standardized test scores like SAT/ACT are less predictive of college success than high school GPA and exhibit bias against disadvantaged or minority students.
  Growing recognition that this assumption was false, but not yet mainstream 1 sources