Open Society

One theory is that this generation has been coddled, given trophies for nothing more than participation. That they are entitled. My belief is different, that students have been defeated by a system that has divorced school from learning, and where the purpose of school is to be good at school and the measurement of how good you are is your grade. Grades are divorced from genuine meaning, and yet are deeply meaningful. I think students are scared. All the available data on the incidence of student depression and anxiety backs me up. Upon arriving at college, the current generation of students is the most observed, tested, and measured of all time. We are desperate to know how we’re doing, and because of this we have fetishized numerical data, scores, standardization. The more and the faster (real-time), the better, apparently. The slightest bobble and interventions are at hand. Nip it in the bud and all that. Testing for ADHD, extra tutoring, parental interference and admonishment. A parent can monitor their child in real-time without ever having to speak with the teacher. The proof is in the portal. Where is this getting us?