The Magic Bullet?

I've been reading about magic bullets this week.  

• Feed kids the right food to make their brain work.
  
• Re-educate the way they think
  
• Keep repeating year 6 until they can read and write
  
• Have more assessments (and indeed other reports suggest less assessments).
  
• Introduce new performance tables, or do away with all performance tables.
  

Bottom line is there is no magic bullet but I do have a little story that I hope is both relevant and shows that things can change.  I have a good friend who fosters.  Their last charge was a teenager who was "off the rails", but just under a year later that very same person attends classes regularly, is succeeding in education, treats others with respect, and has a future.  

I wish I could say how or why they managed to make progress, but I can't, I suspect they can't can't say either.  Perhaps it's just the whole package together that's the basis of a magic bullet?