Review of “Good Education in an Age of Measurement”

Brian W. Lagotte   |    Volume Seven  |   

In Good Education in an Age of Measurement, Gert J.J. Biesta argues that analysis about what constitutes a “good” education demands more than the evidence-based, “best practice” paradigm currently offers. Furthermore, the narrow perspective of assessing learning outcomes may prove detrimental for education towards a deeply democratic society. Although not exactly the type of insight assessment researchers might welcome, Biesta’s thoughtful critique can ultimately enhance the ways scholars evaluate the quality of education. Biesta reinvigorates discussions about what constitutes a good education, specifically the purpose of education. Concerned about a lack of attention to purposes in the research literature, Biesta puts this issue front and center. His inquiry includes a normative perspective rather than only a managerial focus on education as a technique. That is, he produces a conceptual framework for why we ought to focus on particular educational goals. To this end, Biesta provides a three-prong framework for education, which should highlight a distinct outcome: producing a deliberative democratic order of increasing equity.

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