In a National Public Radio report, the news group uncovered deeply flawed data published by the U.S. Department of Education. The investigation found that more than two-thirds of school shootings reported to the authorities during one school year did not actually occur.
This spring the U.S. Education Department reported that in the 2015-2016 school year, “nearly 240 schools … reported at least 1 incident involving a school-related shooting.” The number is far higher than most other estimates.
But NPR reached out to every one of those schools repeatedly over the course of three months and found that more than two-thirds of these reported incidents never happened. Child Trends, a nonpartisan nonprofit research organization, assisted NPR in analyzing data from the government’s Civil Rights Data Collection.
We were able to confirm just 11 reported incidents, either directly with schools or through media reports.
In 161 cases, schools or districts attested that no incident took place or couldn’t confirm one. In at least four cases, we found, something did happen, but it didn’t meet the government’s parameters for a shooting. About a quarter of schools didn’t respond to our inquiries.
“When we’re talking about such an important and rare event, [this] amount of data error could be very meaningful,” says Deborah Temkin, a researcher and program director at Child Trends.
Ray otton says
September 2, 2018 at 12:29 pmIn one example from the list of school shootings a man committed suicide in the parking lot of an abandoned school.
Here’s the thing gun control advocates.
If you want us to listen, stop the outright lies.
If you want us to listen, stop SHOUTING in our ears.
If you want us to listen stop calling us gun nuts.
Of course, you don’t actually want us to listen, you want to enforce gun control on us……………………………………………………………………………….at the point of a gun.
David Muir says
September 2, 2018 at 7:17 pmSo let me understand. The fact that 1/3 of them did occur is okay? No problem. Only a few dead kids. What’s the big deal? Nothing to see here.
Note: We’re talking about bad data. Who said anything about it being okay? How stupid.
rotton50@yahoo.com says
September 3, 2018 at 3:58 pmHeck it’s almost as if you think we’re deplorable.
As I said, keep skewing facts and denigrating pro-2nd amendment folks and see how many of come to the table to discuss the actual problem.
tokenny says
September 3, 2018 at 1:43 amSorry Ray, I think you have this one wrong – it’s not about gun control, it’s about the Administrations wish to arm teachers in school. What better way for DeVos and Trump to argue for arming teachers. How typical of the administration to not question the rise in numbers from pervious years
Stuart Bell says
September 3, 2018 at 2:25 pm1) A Leftist says, “If it saves just one innocent life we should repeal the 2nd amendment and ban guns.”
2) I say, “If it stops just one murder, robbery, rape, etc., we should repeal immigration and ban all illegal aliens.”
Chris Willis says
September 3, 2018 at 1:42 amMore funny business with numbers….
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/aug/29/john-lott-jr-adam-lankford-botched-study-claiming-/