[fjdhmgjm] Are you happy?

Instead of trying to maximize standardized test scores in primary education, try to maximize happiness.

Happiness is more fundamental, and I think it can be measured more accurately than whatever standardized tests are trying to measure (student's success in life?)

A happy student is more likely to stay in school, more likely to remain curious and learn, and more likely to seek to achieve advanced education.

Happiness or unhappiness in school is caused by many factors, often very personal, seemingly little to do with actual education: e.g., bullying.

Optimizing for happiness will result in very different looking schools.  But learning will still remain an important part, for a student who feels he or she is wasting time not learning anything -- not growing, a facet of the innate human instinct to achieve -- will probably not be happy.

This hypothesis can be retrospectively tested: survey adults about how happy they were during their education.

Some weird wisdom: "The beatings will continue until morale improves."  Morale is very important.