Bullets versus Lasers

Too often we're searching for silver bullets to solve the problems in education. 

• Let's buy this program and it will fix our math scores.
• Let's do this initiative, or maybe that one.
• PLC is the answer.
• School choice is the answer.
• Merit pay is the answer.
• Teacher evaluation is the answer.
• Data teams are the way to go.

The problem is that we too often try one thing and another and another without giving adequate time to gauge the results.  Folks are running here and there looking for that silver bullet.

Perhaps we need to stop searching for the silver bullets and instead build lasers.  Through comprehensive needs analysis we must determine a focus around which to build our improvement model.  We call this establishing our rocks.  By focusing everything through the lens of our rocks we establish a laser focus that drives us forward.

In this era of heightened talk of gun safety, let's put away the bullets and start building those lasers.