Burden of Reformy Proof
Once again, leave it to Matt DiCarlo to cut through the rhetoric and clearly state the issue:
One final note: The truly important point about the “year and a half of learning” argument, just like the ubiquitous “three great teachers in a row can close the achievement gap” talking point, is what they mean for policy (especially since they’re usually used to make policy arguments). They are both stylized ways of saying the same thing, about which there is really very little disagreement – teachers are important. But, even if you take these points at face value, they do little to help answer the critical question that comes next, which is how the distribution of teacher quality can be improved. This is inarguably one of the most urgent issues facing education policy today, from which arguments about these talking points may just serve as a distraction. [emphasis mine]In other words: yes, having good teachers is important. But that doesn't mean doing just anything will give you