About Metrics and Meaning

The current mania for metrics in independent education circles--curious since what we objected to in No Child Left Behind was, in part, high-stakes testing--would be informed by a read of todays Farnam Street blog.  The most salient part of the entry is about the inherent challenge of measuring social phenomena.  The outcomes we aspire to achieve are social as much as academic; e.g., graduates who will change the world, a more just and diverse environment, attitudes of tolerance, and a respect for the life of the mind.  Tough stuff to quantify.  Well worth trying, though we likely won't ever get it right.