The contemporary preoccupation with academic achievement may overlook the importance of preserving students' self-worth. Rankings of students are too often linked to judgments of moral worth; instead, the promotion of equal dignity in four areas (material well-being, individuality, communal affiliation, and wholeness) must form the broad goals of education. Even the pursuit of excellence can ultimately fail when human needs are ignored and only evidence of achievement is emphasized--when school standards do not actually reflect mastery of skills, when curriculum is narrow and self-serving, when limited resources are devoted to the gifted only, or when social responsibility is valued below individual achievement. Policy-makers at all levels can minimize these destructive effects by promoting diverse forms of competence, providing support services for slow learners, encouraging cooperative activities in schools, integrating academic disciplines and spheres of school and community life, and including parents and students in decisions affecting school policy and procedure. (JW)