What will we tell the children? Atlanta schools edition

by David Safier

Atlanta's Superintendent of Ed was named the 2009 U.S. Superintendent of the year, based largely on the district's phenomenal increase on state test scores. Somebody better take her medal back, now that 178 teachers and principals have been accused of being involved in cheating on tests, and 82 have confessed.

In my years of teaching, I've known about random bad apple teachers, but it took high stakes testing to corrupt this many.

I need to add, many of the involved teachers weren't willing accomplices. Teachers were intimidated into cooperation and silence, and whistleblowers were punished. I can't say with any certainty I would have been strong enough to withstand the pressure.

Two interesting side notes. One, the superintendent resigned but didn't admit any guilt in the cheating scandal, or even knowledge of it. Her protestations of ignorance are highly unlikely. Two, the high scores resulted in the Atlanta district getting funding from the Broad Foundation and the Gates Foundation. The stakes are very, very high in the high stakes testing game.

ARIZONA'S "CARPE TESTS" NOTE: Yuma's Carpe Diem charter is among the many schools and districts nationwide suspected in the whole Erasuregate scandal. On past state tests, some classes had far more erasures than normal, and the answers were seven times more likely to go from wrong to right answers than would be expected. Carpe Diem, like Atlanta schools, is receiving state and national recognition for its "successes." However, we'll never know if the tests are legit because, unlike Georgia, Arizona is unlikely to "Seize the Tests" and investigate — or even monitor future state testing at the school. Huppenthal, Goldwater Institute and the rest of their conservative buddies love them some Carpe Diem, and they have no desire to let uncomfortable facts disturb the myth they have built around the school.