Scientific Definition
Schools evaluated on test scores teach to the test.
Plain-English Definition
Schools evaluated on test scores teach to the test.
Feynman Explanation
Goodhart's Law in a uniform.
Core Principle
Schools evaluated on test scores teach to the test.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Schools evaluated on test scores teach to the test.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Test design becomes de facto curriculum.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
Goodhart's Law in a uniform.
Examples
- U.S. NCLB era distortion of curriculum.
- Test design becomes de facto curriculum.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Multi-dimensional evaluation. Sampled audits. Outcome-based metrics.
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.
- Multi-dimensional evaluation. Sampled audits. Outcome-based metrics.
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.
Schools judged on completion rates have an incentive to pass underprepared students.
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.