ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some popular products and ideas in education that don’t have an evidence base. Most schools receive government funding of some type, so selling an education or intervention product to parents and schools can be a licence to print money. Lack of teacher knowledge about what actually constitutes research and evidence results in millions wasted annually on terrific sounding programs and equipment that do virtually no good whatsoever. A new, but important-feeling program of instruction does have a temporary influence on the productivity of teachers and learners. It can even give a brief advantage over their everyday system of instruction. Probably the most widespread placebo effect in literacy intervention is the coloured glasses/overlays scam. Aside from astigmatism and short- and long-sightedness, there are two major additional conditions that can affect literacy acquisition: convergence insufficiency and amblyopia.
