Pulitzer-Prize-winning former New York Times Washington Bureau Chief David Leonhardt writes, in a front-page New York Times article:
the notion that standardized tests are worthless or counterproductive has become a tenet of liberalism. It has also become an example of how polarization can cause Americans to adopt positions that are not based on empirical evidence...liberals sometimes try to wish away inconvenient facts.... In recent years, Americans on the left have been reluctant to acknowledge that extended Covid school closures were a mistake, that policing can reduce crime and that drug legalization can damage public health.
There is a common thread to these examples. Intuitively, the progressive position sounds as if it should reduce inequities. But data has suggested that some of these policies may do the opposite, harming vulnerable people.
The devotion to "empirical evidence," "facts," and "data" as opposed to intent-to-"reduce inequities" is so refreshing and surprising to see.