In the News
In his latest Huffington Post op-ed "Driven by Data" MƒA President John Ewing dissects how data plays an increasingly important role in our lives, both in the technological and cultural sense. Ewing acknowledges the recent emphasis on data, but raises concern about data-driven education:
“We capture large amounts of data about standardized test scores for many students over many years, and we calculate various statistics based on those data. We use those statistics to measure the quality of teachers, the worth of schools, and the efficacy of education policies.
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Education has suffered because of this.”
Although metrics and focus on 'measurable outcomes' have their importance, Ewing argues that using common sense and judgement is what matters:
“Data is indispensable, both in science and social science, but no matter how alluring, numbers are not a priori superior to other forms of evidence. Often knowledge, understanding and wisdom are more important.”