From Seth Godin’s blog today.

The easiest way to sell yourself short is to compare your work to the competition. To say that you are 5% cheaper or have one or two features that stand out–this is a formula for slightly better mediocrity.

What about a school comparing itself to others using average scores on standardized tests? Or worse, the numbers of students who simply took a particular test?

American education policy sells kids short, aiming for a mediocrity of the lowest common denominator for them, instead of searching for Godin’s magical unicorn.