Wow, you get slight gains in tests when you start forcing teachers to "teach to the test". It's like managing programmers by rewarding high LOC / day. There's

Wow, you get slight gains in tests when you start forcing teachers to "teach to the test". It's like managing programmers by rewarding high LOC / day. There's pros and cons to this approach. The pro is you control the system, and don't just let brain-dead practices remain. For example, you sack the programmers who don't actually program, or encourage the teachers who don't actually teach to lift their game. Welcome back to the 1920s. The con is that people start gaming the system. It's like putting a patient in an iron lung. It keeps them above a certain minimum level, but it's also a sign that things were well and truly screwed before hand.