Klein and Colbert: fun, but truthiness* questionable

Posted by Philissa at 4:02 PM

If you haven't seen Joel Klein's "Colbert Report" appearance yet, you can check it out on ComedyCentral.com. Klein had a big smile on his face and was quick on his feet; the DOE evidently is proud of his performance because it was included in the department's email newsletter today. The New York Times' City Room blog has the transcript, and commenters there are having a field day poking holes in Klein's plan to pay students for their grades and suggesting alternatives. Klein's defense sounded strong on TV, but it needs to be fact-checked -- has anyone ever heard of a study finding that financial incentives for abstinence actually work?

*No, I know that truthiness isn't a real word. But don't tell that to Colbert, or to Merriam-Webster, which gave it "word of the year" honors last year.