Education Department Rebuttal

Funny how upset people can get just because you call their agency a goat.

An Education Department spokesman wasn’t pleased with that description in my Dec. 2 column about a Government Accountability Office report on the lack of diversity in the Senior Executive Service at some agencies.

Because Education is a small department with relatively few bosses, any variation in the base number significantly affects the percentage of senior execs. The Education percentage of African American men in the high positions dropped from 13.3 percent to 4.5 percent between 2000 and 2007.

“Had the small variation gone up instead of down, the department could have been a hero instead of a goat,” I wrote.

Chad Colby wasn’t happy with that line so he sent me some additional information.

Among other things, he said the percentage of women rose to 36.4 percent from 29.3 percent during the period of the study.

“Are you going to write a follow-up column on the secretary’s last nine appointments, of which 44 percent (!) are minorities and 44 percent (!) are women?” Colby asked.

Yes.

--Joe Davidson

By Steven E. Levingston  |  December 11, 2008; 5:09 PM ET  | Category:  Hiring
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