Scientific Definition
Schools judged on completion rates have an incentive to pass underprepared students.
Plain-English Definition
Schools judged on completion rates have an incentive to pass underprepared students.
Feynman Explanation
Graduate the metric. Underprepare the human.
Core Principle
Schools judged on completion rates have an incentive to pass underprepared students.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Schools judged on completion rates have an incentive to pass underprepared students.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Single-number school report cards corrode standards.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
Graduate the metric. Underprepare the human.
Examples
- Grade inflation and remediation collapse tied to grad-rate targets.
- Single-number school report cards corrode standards.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Pair grad rates with post-grad outcomes and rigor audits.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Pair grad rates with post-grad outcomes and rigor audits.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
Tenure-track jobs replaced by low-paid adjuncts, lowering cost and quality.
Seat-time accountability rewards presence over engagement.
Employers screen by school name, rewarding admission rather than developed skill.
Schools optimize for ranking inputs (selectivity, spending) instead of student outcomes.
Tying institutional survival to graduate salaries forces schools to drop social-service programs.
Grade-driven admissions reward strategic course-picking over intellectual risk.
Professors rewarded by student evaluations have an incentive to inflate.
More homework signals rigor to parents but often produces burnout, not understanding.
Grant cycles favor safe, incremental work over high-risk breakthroughs.
Universities optimize for ranking metrics rather than education quality.
A single test format constrains pedagogy and disadvantages diverse learners.
Easy federal lending lets colleges raise tuition without market discipline.