Sunday, October 7, 2012

Jersey Jazzman: "Silver Bullet" Watch

Jersey Jazzman: "Silver Bullet" Watch:


"Silver Bullet" Watch

I'm going to start a new feature: the "Silver Bullet" Watch.

It's well-known that corporate reformies push policies - test-based teacher evaluations, charters, merit pay, vouchers,  gutting tenure, ending LIFO - that have little evidence to support them. But one thing I've noticed is that they always seem to sell these with a qualifier: "I'm not saying _____ is a 'silver bullet.' It's just one part of a larger program we need..."

The "silver bullet" excuse is basically a way of saying that even though the reformies' favored policies won't do much of anything, they should still be implemented. Here, again, are a couple of examples:


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Jonny Alter: "Charters, by themselves, are not any kind of a cure-all. You now, a magic pill."

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Michelle Rhee: "There is no one thing that's going to bring about the