A Critical Time In American Education

We are at a critical time in American education.  We are being asked to believe that nothing is real unless it is measurable.  Test scores – if you can’t measure it, it’s not real.  The over-reliance on test scores is going to destroy education.  We are focusing on things (test scores) rather than human beings and relationships.  We are encouraged to focus on “hard data” (which is more easily measured), rather than “soft skills” (which is more difficult to measure).  If we believe that only what is measurable is more real, it is easier to disregard the soft stuff.  We are spending so much time on quantitative, data-driven decisions that the quality of interpersonal relationships, sense of purpose, and character development is now a distant second in value.  The reality is that “soft skills” are the hardest to develop.  Maybe it is because they are so hard to develop, and measure, that we fear them and relegate them to second-class status.  Current research from the Collaborative for Academic and Social Emotional Learning shows that “soft skills” (respect, responsibility, and relationships) are the primary factors in lifetime success or failure.

Measurement is not the villain.  The problem is a loss of balance between social emotional learning and academic skills.  It is in the balance and integration of academics with social emotional learning that we will find whole, healthy, and successful learners.  We cannot become so focused on tests and quantitative data that we forget the essentials of good judgment and learning.