I posted earlier about a charter leader who was accused of orchestrating cheating, was fired, and was given a $245,000 settlement.
The whole sordid mess associated with Crescendo Charter Schools in Los Angeles might never have come to light were it not for teachers who were whistle-blowers.
Robert Skeels tells the story here.
Without tenure, without the protection of a union, whistleblowers get fired or never surface to blow the whistle.
Part of the faculty at the charter chain belonged to the United Teachers of Los Angeles.
They blew the whistle on a corporate culture that condoned cheating.
They thought it was wrong.
Imagine that. They thought it was wrong to give students the answers to the questions.
It was alleged that the founder of the chain ordered principals to break the seals on the standardized tests and direct teachers to teach the tests, all to get higher scores and create the illusion of miracle schools.
That is the route to fame and fortune.
But it wasn’t because there were whistleblowers.
The whole chain was shut down.
Deregulation has its perils.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
More common than most think. Teachers are demoralized to speak up – ruins their careers. >>> Big $$$, greed, fame, home sales, chambers of commerce, TV news, politicians, $$testing, $$publishers, $$charter schools, $$ private schools, TFA, RT3$$$$$$$$$$$$$!
Too uncertain if Johnny can Read. Cheating assures results >>>$$$$!
This is not limited to the charter schools and I am no friend of charter schools.
Integrity is taught, but seldom placed in practice. The ends justify the means.
They blew the whistle and now all the teachers are out of work.
Teachers have been blowing the whistle on how the state tests are screwed up and each year the same problems are on the tests. How can the state use a flawed ruler? I would question any school that does well on a state test because the test is flawed in so many ways. No wonder they cheat. Otherwise, they cannot demonstrate meeting goals. It is insanity in action.
Teaching is no longer a career, it is a job. The teacher pension concerns will disappear in time as so few will draw a pension of any size. The exceptions will be the ones that are abusing the system today. Those are the University Presidents and superintendents that are of course, not union. They will often have sweetheart deals with the schools.
I would love to blow the whistle on how terrible our state test are…..
(ambiguous wording, very culturally biased, questions directly ripped off old, released AP exams and thus at a totally inappropriate level, multiple correct answers, etc.) but we are threatened within an inch of our lives if we even look at the tests. They go on about how we can loose our license, get fired and get sued.
I have seen them due to giving them to ESOL and Special Services students ( get the test read to them).
I really wish parents would demand to see the tests that are keeping their children from graduating!
I wish the media would demand to see the tests that they seem to have so much faith in.
It reminds me of the Stanley Milgram exp. You know, they guy in the white lab coat must be obeyed even if he asks you to shock a stranger.
No one wants to question the education authorities!
This is classic charter school style. A CEO who uses fear and intimidation and an iron fist to force teachers to do his/her bidding. Their boards are filled with the CEOs flunkies who are nothing more than window dressing. There is no geographic district and transient populations and parents have no clue what is going on. The whole system is full of crooks. If the public could see what is really going on in charters and if the media would actually report it, the public would be outraged. When will it all end?