Suppose that you present your findings to a superintendent of a school district and the superintendent says Your findings show that to improve math scores we just need to improve reading scores so we

I would respond by explaining that while there is a positive correlation between reading scores and math scores, it does not necessarily mean that improving reading scores will directly lead to improvement in math scores. We cannot assume causation based on correlation alone. Additionally, there may be other factors that contribute to math scores beyond just reading ability.

If we were to run the regression of read12 on math12, we would expect to find a similar positive correlation, but again, this does not necessarily mean that improving reading scores will directly lead to improvement in math scores. It is important to look at all possible factors and consider a holistic approach in addressing the issue of improving math scores.