Erich Martel of D.C. posted the documents from the Atlanta investigation.
“These are the four Atlanta Public School (APS) Investigation Report documents:
There are some unexpected surprises. Supt. Hall hired two “experts” to do a review of a few schools in response to concerns. One is a well-known consultant, author of “Unpacking the Standards.” His report was very approving (he visited 8 schools in one day, during his 3-day stay). Supt Hall posted it on the APS website. The other, critical report she “lost,” claiming that she never received it. Go to p. 311 of the “Exhibits to Report.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Reblogged this on Transparent Christina.
Is this any different from the Bush/Cheney Administration’s selling the Iraq War to us under the guise of faulty information? It worked but are we any better off now as a result of this war? It seems to me that the testing required in public schools and how the results are used may also be based on false assumptions and may also provide us a negative ROI when it comes to our children..
“It worked. . . ” What worked? The faulty information? (although I wouldn’t call it faulty, I’d call it deliberately misleading, prevaricating and/or false, in other words lying.) It didn’t work for many around the world as shown by the massive demonstrations around the world and even in the US against Bush’s illegal invasion of Iraq war plans.
“. . .may also be based on false assumptions. . . .” Not may but is. The false assumption that the teaching and learning process can be quantified is that basic assumption. The second is that a standardized test has any validity at all when it doesn’t as proven by Noel Wilson in “Educational Standards and the Problem of Error” found at: http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/577/700 .
Let’s not forget about D.C. Where are the independent investigators with power to subpoena witnesses in D.C.? Rhee has so much more political clout with both Democrats and Republicans than Hall ever had.
Here are the links to the PBS Frontline documentary and follow up investigative articles —
http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/2013/01/michelle_rhee…
http://takingnote.learningmatters.tv/?p=6070
http://takingnote.learningmatters.tv/?p=6108
Please, for the sake of the children, let’s get to the bottom of this. Reporters like John Merrow don’t have the power to subpoena obviously. All he and his producers got were shut doors and phone call hang-ups when he tried to investigate D.C.
Yes, Rhee is very connected with those in power, but now it’s time for those in power to distance themselves and realize that they need to do the right thing. Investigate D.C. now. These “no excuses” multiple choice test policies are being implemented nationwide based on what seems to me to be another Atlanta scandal.
Education reformers: You may have good intentions and I know many of you do care for poor children, but you have to step back and ask yourself, are you doing more harm than good by promoting Atlanta-type policies?
Cheating in Atlanta Public Schools under Superintendent Hall was investigated as thoroughly as cheating in DCPS was under Superintendent Rhee and her successor.
That should clear up any and all doubts…
🙂
I don’t think it’s illogical to speculate that if cheating occurred in the Atlanta public school system, then it is currently happening elsewhere.
I taught English for 11 years in several Los Angeles public high schools. During my last assignment, my principal told me that “if it isn’t on the test, don’t teach it.” She also told her faculty on more than one occasion that if we had “a passion for teaching” then we might be “teaching at the wrong school.” While she never suggested that we cheat, I think her test-oriented approach to education was oppressive and created undo pressure on my colleagues and me to elevate test scores, although I was never aware that any of us ever did so illegitimately.
While cheating is a cowardly act, the real problem unveiled by the Atlanta scandal is the pedagogy of standardized testing. Our emphasis on multiple choice exams based on standards created by committees who don’t teach in our classrooms, by textbook publishers who are making huge profits from standards-based curricula, and by testing giants like the Educational Testing Service and Pearson, is out of balance.
We need to reverse the course upon which the non-educators have set us. We need to trust our teachers to do what’s best for our students.