Biesta (2009) Good education in an age of measurement

The paper argues for the need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education amid a focus on measuring educational outcomes.
Explores why the question of purpose in education seems to have diminished, proposing a systematic approach to re-address it.

Importance of Purpose: Education needs to address its purpose alongside the measurement of outcomes.
Three Functions of Education:
- Qualification: Providing necessary knowledge, skills, and dispositions.
- Socialisation: Inserting individuals into social, cultural, and political orders.
- Subjectification: Fostering independence and individuality among learners.

Rise of Educational Measurement:
- Interest in educational outcomes measurement has surged over the past 20 years.
- International studies like TIMSS, PIRLS, and PISA create competitive league tables for schools globally.
Accountability and Choice: League tables aim to inform policy and provide a measure of school performance.
Critique of Measurement:
- Accountability can limit educational evaluation to simple choices rather than genuine democratic engagement.
- Educational outcomes are often oversimplified; quality of education and broader factors affecting equality are overlooked.

Academic Evidence: There is a push for education to be evidence-based, focusing on measurable inputs and outcomes.
American educational reforms under 'No Child Left Behind' magnified the emphasis on standardized research methodologies.
Historical research on school effectiveness underscored the dynamics of teaching and learning.

Is-Ought Problem: Decisions about education should integrate factual information with value judgments about what is educationally desirable.
Normative Validity:
- Measurement may focus too heavily on what is easy to quantify rather than what is valuable.
- The rise of performativity challenges normative aspects of education.

Shift in Vocabulary: The term 'learning' has replaced 'education,' changing how educational processes are discussed.
Challenges of Learnification:
- Individualism: Learning is seen as a personal, individual endeavor, contrasting with the relational notion of education.
- Lack of focus on educational content and direction leads to difficulties in determining educational purposes.

Qualification Function:
- Focus on the knowledge and skills necessary for academic and vocational success.
- Links to economic development and skills preparation for the workforce.
Socialisation Function:
- Involves the transmission of norms, values, and cultural traditions in educational settings.
- Contributes to a collective social identity.
Subjectification Function:
- Encourages critical thinking and independence.
- Education should foster self-awareness and individuality in students.

It's vital to recognize the interplay of qualification, socialisation, and subjectification in education.
The different dimensions should not be treated in isolation as they overlap in practice.

Citizenship Education:
- Often focused on qualification, but also requires socialisation towards a concept of good citizenship.
- Can promote political subjectification by encouraging active civic engagement.
Mathematics Education:
- Primarily about qualification, but recent discussions show the importance of socialisation into mathematical practices.
- Subjectification can arise from critical engagement with mathematics relating to social justice.

Reconnecting Purpose: Need to integrate educational purpose back into discussions overshadowed by measurement.
Importance of recognizing good education as a composite question—one that incorporates qualification, socialisation, and subjectification.
Continuous discussion on educational values is essential to prevent data-driven decisions that disregard educational aims.