Abraham Lincoln never said, "You cannot fool all the people all the time." Thomas Jefferson never said, "That government is best which governs least." And Horace Greeley never said, "Go west, young man." In They Never Said It, Paul Boller, Jr., and John George examine hundreds of misquotations, incorrect attributions, and blatant fabrications, outlining the origins of the quotes and revealing why they should be consigned to the historical trashcan. Many of the misquotes are quite harmless. Some are inadvertent misquotes that have become popular (Shakespeare actually said, "The best part of valor is discretion"), others, the inventions of reporters embellishing a story (Franklin Roosevelt never opened a speech to a DAR group with the salutation, "My fellow immigrants"). But some of the quotes, such as Charles Darwin's supposed deathbed recantation of evolution, are blatantly dishonest and falsify the historical record. And others are chillingly vicious, filled with virulent racial and religious prejudices that completely distort the views of the person supposedly quoted and spread distrust and hatred among the gullible. These include the forged remarks attributed to Benjamin Franklin that Jews should be excluded from America, and the fabricated condemnation of Catholics attributed to Lincoln. An entertaining and yet thought-provoking book, They Never Said It sorts out a great deal of history and sets it right, going beyond a mere catalog of popular misconceptions to reveal how conservatives and liberals, atheists and evangelists, all have at times twisted and even invented the words of eminent figures to promote their own ends. It is the ultimate debunking reference, a perfect complement to handbooks of quotations.

The purpose of the investigation was to explore what to do with university students who possess both a desire and ability to matriculate into technical skills but who present in need of math remediation and/or development and who typically lack effective problem solving skills. The decision for remediation or development is based on one of 3 math placement criteria: (1) score below 21 on ACT math subtest; (2) score below 520 on SAT math subtest; or (3) Compass math placement. At Youngstown State University, a course, ENTC 1500 was created for students who seek to matriculate into engineering technology. The course emphasizes hands on labs that simulate how engineers attack and solve problems, problem solving employing the same 6 step problem solving methodology practicing engineers use on novel problems. ENTC 1500 is typically taken concurrent with intermediate algebra (remedial), an intermediate/college algebra course (developmental) or a basic trigonometry class (developmental). Once students have completed intermediate algebra, trigonometry and ENTC 1500 they can move into their chosen major (Civil and Construction, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering Technology) and take pre-calculus and an introductory engineering technology class with integrated lab, ENTC 1505 for degree credit. The study applied an Individual Participant Data (also termed primary) meta-analysis. This investigation considered n = 116 ENTC 1500 students exposed to what is termed New Treatment and compared them with n = 273 No Treatment students who placed directly into pre-calculus (and ENTC 1505). The students were grouped by ENTC 1505 cohorts from Spring 2009 through Fall 2012 (seven cohorts). Quantitative analyses employed SPSS and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) using mixed effects analysis. The New Treatment discussed has been found to work well for six to 24 students in a class typically setting at tables rather than student desks. For five target classes spanning roughly two years into an engineering technology degree, the New Treatment students perform as well as or outperform the No Treatment students in each of the five target courses individually and outperform the No Treatment students over time (for all five classes combined).