I'm currently watching The Wire, and this aspect of people juking the stats to move up the ranks is a deep underlying theme. It's gotten me to thinking: what is

I'm currently watching The Wire, and this aspect of people juking the stats to move up the ranks is a deep underlying theme. It's gotten me to thinking: what is the best alternative to focusing on metrics? Surely, relying on something other than data would be no improvement over the status quo. The only thought I've had is to: 1) Rely on a spectrum of metrics, to get a more holistic perspective. Instead of just seeing "crime is down x%" administrators would see how many reports end up classified as a lower-level infractions, how civilians rate the safety of their area, etc. 2) Add common-sense restrictions to make stat-pumping more difficult. For example, bringing in classroom inspections on random days 3) Penalizing institutions and individuals who are clearly attempting to juke the stats. Enforcement would certainly be difficult, but simply having something to this effect on the books would, imho, reduce schools dedicating time to studying for a standardized test