Test scores don’t measure what really counts… right?

Wrong according to a new paper by researchers at institutions including Harvard and Dartmouth. States that improved their math performance on national tests reaped later benefits in earnings and educational attainment. They even saw lower teen pregnancy and incarceration.

Good schools matter. Even though tests are imperfect, they capture important signals of learning that align to quality of life outcomes we value. When we pretend otherwise, we’re forcing kids to settle for less.