A Big Fish In A Small Causal Pond
In three previous posts, I discussed what I’ve begun to call the “trifecta” of teacher-focused education reform talking points:
- Teachers are the most important (in-school) factor affecting achievement;
- Firing the bottom 5-10 percent of teachers will increase our scores to the level of high-performing nations; and
- Providing children with three, four, or five consecutive “top” teachers in a row would close the achievement gap.
In many respects, this “trifecta” is driving the current education debate. You would have trouble finding many education reform articles, reports, or speeches that don’t use at least one of these arguments.
Indeed, they are guiding principles behind much of the Obama Administration’s education agenda, as well as the
