The Credibility Gap | EduShyster

The Credibility Gap | EduShyster:

The Credibility Gap

 What if the *solution* turns out to be a big part of the problem?

By Sarah Lahm
Friends, we have a problem on our hands. It turns out that experienced teachers—otherwise known as LIFO lifers—may not be causing the chasm of the achievement gap all by their lazy little selves. Now you’re probably thinking to yourself at this point: *color me confused.* After all, everyone who is anyone has been telling us for about as long as we can remember now that there is a money-back guaranteed way to boost all children up, no matter their zip code or lack thereof: de-tenurize teachers and take their golden *seniority* tickets while we’re at it. 

Meet the *edu-perts*
The argument goes something like this: once teachers are freed from workplace constraints, just like temps or Walmart clerks, students will at last begin to achieve,meaning that the greatest achievement of all has been achieved—the magic vanishing of the achievement gap. Case study: Minneapolis. For years now, a chorus of *edu-perts* (moneyed sources with vested interests whose vast knowledge of education can be traced back to their own student days) has been telling us that Minneapolis’ gigantic test score gaps are caused