In my last newsletter, I wrote about “Metric Madness” at nonprofits. The very next day, a perfect example made its appearance in the Boston Globe: Study urges curriculum shift to aid Boston students’ success in college.

In a nutshell, the Boston Public Schools decided not to require the state-wide MassCore college preparatory curriculum, reportedly because they thought it would hurt graduation rates. Meanwhile, students who complete the MassCore requirements, which includes up to 100% of students in many schools and only 33% of students in Boston schools, have “far better odds of earning a post-secondary degree than those who did not.”

“This is really an opportune moment,” Interim Superintendent Laura Perille said, according to the article, “When you are trying to drive change, making sure you are aiming for the right goal post is critical.” Yes, you must pursue the right goals! The decision to ignore the college preparatory curriculum to protect graduation rates is a perfect example of pursuing the wrong goal and, subsequently, shooting yourself in the foot.

Graduating from high school provides students with a diploma. Is there a correlation between having a high school diploma and having the opportunity for a better life? Since having a diploma is often a job requirement, the answer is yes. At least that has been the case historically.

However, if you focus exclusively on graduation rates, you will be motivated to lower your standards and reluctant to try anything that might reduce graduation rates, even changes that will improve the education students receive.

Lowering your standards and reducing academic challenges for students so that more students can get diplomas might look like success according to your chosen metric, but it makes those diplomas less meaningful. It erodes their value. Why would you strive for a goal by diluting its value? You shoot yourself in the foot if you destroy the correlation between your goal and the improvement of lives. Many certificates are meaningless because they are indicative of little more than showing up. Is this the status or future status of a high school diploma?

Choose your goals wisely. Be sure your impact metrics actually represent improved lives. Graduation rates are meaningless if diplomas become meaningless.