{"id":1880,"date":"2015-04-04T09:45:46","date_gmt":"2015-04-04T16:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/?p=1880"},"modified":"2015-04-04T09:45:46","modified_gmt":"2015-04-04T16:45:46","slug":"a-note-on-key-performance-indicators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2015\/04\/a-note-on-key-performance-indicators\/","title":{"rendered":"A note on key performance indicators"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"and<\/a>My son goes to a wonderful elementary school – all his teachers have been terrific. His county school board produces the worst report cards ever<\/a> (so far).<\/p>\n

The report cards are ‘growth-based’, meant to measure progress from competency levels exhibited at the beginning of the school year. Fair enough. But there are 40 ‘essential learnings’ in language, and 26 in math. And the parent has no guide as to which of these ‘essential learnings’ have been emphasized in class, or as to which are most important for general progress. My older children now attend a school where they are simply given letter grades, and I – and surely most parents? – find a ‘B+’ in a subject more informative about how they are doing than bar graphs for 40 different kinds of finely-grained definitions of skills within a single subject.<\/p>\n

Arts organizations take note: in choosing metrics, or KPI<\/a>‘s, remember the ‘K’: what is truly key<\/em> to what you are trying to achieve. Too many metrics, with no sense of how to weigh their relative importance, is less informative to your stakeholders than a short list of measures closely tied to prioritized goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My son goes to a wonderful elementary school – all his teachers have been terrific. His county school board produces the worst report cards ever (so far). The report cards are ‘growth-based’, meant to measure progress from competency levels exhibited at the beginning of the school year. Fair enough. But there are 40 ‘essential learnings’ […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1881,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1880","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-issues","8":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/classroom.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3dIW5-uk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1667,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2014\/11\/arts-policy-and-the-election\/","url_meta":{"origin":1880,"position":0},"title":"Arts, policy, and the election (updated)","author":"Michael Rushton","date":"November 3, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Barry's Blog has a post on the consequences of the election, anticipating Republican gains in the House and likely control of the Senate, calling the post 'What Tomorrow's Election Means for the Nonprofit Arts.' Good question! He writes: On the federal level, if the Democrats maintain control of the Senate,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "issues"","block_context":{"text":"issues","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"what's the big deal?","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Voters.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1264,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2014\/05\/the-economic-impact-of-everything-continued\/","url_meta":{"origin":1880,"position":1},"title":"The economic impact of everything, continued","author":"Michael Rushton","date":"May 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I would say I'm not sure anyone will ever top this, but who can predict? Press Progress reports on a document produced by Kinder Morgan, on the beneficial economic impact of ... oil spills. The report reads: Words fail. H\/T Charles Pierce @ESQPolitics","rel":"","context":"In "issues"","block_context":{"text":"issues","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"multiplier effects!","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/oil_bird-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4694,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2026\/05\/classical-education-will-not-turn-students-into-virtuous-adults\/","url_meta":{"origin":1880,"position":2},"title":"Classical education will not turn students into virtuous adults","author":"Michael Rushton","date":"May 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"We would not have our Guardians grow up among representations of moral deformity, as in some foul pasture where, day after day, feeding on every poisonous weed, they would, little by little, gather insensibly a mass of corruption in their very souls. Rather we must seek out those craftsmen whose\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "issues"","block_context":{"text":"issues","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":951,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2013\/07\/win-win\/","url_meta":{"origin":1880,"position":3},"title":"Win-win","author":"Michael Rushton","date":"July 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I am working on a project, which is taking many more hours than expected. While I love the idea of spending all my summer afternoons and evenings hanging out in the backyard with my children, there are times where I simply need to get to the office to get some\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "issues"","block_context":{"text":"issues","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"all collegial","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/farmers-market-300x231.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2141,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2016\/11\/breaking-away\/","url_meta":{"origin":1880,"position":4},"title":"Breaking away","author":"Michael Rushton","date":"November 20, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Can you remember the movie Breaking Away? From 1979, and set at that time, in my current home town of Bloomington, Indiana. Four lads just out of high school, all lacking a sense of purpose. It's a terrific movie, highly recommended. This week Alex Usher (you should follow him on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "issues"","block_context":{"text":"issues","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"imagine their futures","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/breaking-away.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4716,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/2026\/06\/what-is-it-like-to-be-a-professional-musician\/","url_meta":{"origin":1880,"position":5},"title":"What is it Like to be a Professional Musician?","author":"Michael Rushton","date":"June 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"There is no simple explanation for anything important any of us do, and the human tragedy, or the human irony, consists in the necessity of living with the consequences of actions performed under the pressure of compulsions so obscure we do not and cannot understand them. (Hugh MacLennan,\u00a0The Watch Ends\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "issues"","block_context":{"text":"issues","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-1.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-1.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1880"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1882,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1880\/revisions\/1882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/worth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}