Arrests made in CRCT cheating. Are more to come?

Were the 2 administrators members of ODE or PAGE? I bet that may be why we haven’t heard from these 2 organizations. What a conflict of interest. You can’t represent teachers and administrators. GO MACE!

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Dr. John,

Please add Alvin to your assemblage of P Poor school admin.

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Dr. John
How does someone make the list? Is it just complaints from teachers? Do you substantiate them first? I have seen principals try to bring about positive change in their first year and get lots of pushback from teachers but things begin to turn around and you increase CRCT scores the right way, not cheating.

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Pressures to “make the grade” impact students, teachers, and administrators. The sanctions imposed and loss of confidence in a school when it reaches the “needs improvement” status (often times for one subgroup), can cause even the most upright individual to think about “helping” students and schools by making a change here or there. Thankfully, most teachers and administrators resist the urge.

The arrest and prosecution of these administrators will additionally burden the judicial system and bring added costs to the county. If the charges are proven, they will lose their teaching licenses and their jobs. Double punishment is ridiculous.

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THIS IS SAD STORY, BUT WHAT IS EVEN SADDER IS THAT ALL OF THIS HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THE NCLB ACT THE PRESIDENT BUSH SIGN OFF ON. I have a teacher for over 5 years in two states. The mandated state test are all basis and vague. HERE A TEACHER QUOTE: NO TWO FLOWERS BLOOM AT THE SAME RATE. The students would have passed anyway! because the one test can not fail a child if they passed all the classes. The title 1 money would have come anyway. and to the parents that move their kids from one school to another based on AYP stupid! because they scores are often manipulate anyway (safe habors and perfect attendance) I am sorry that he got arrested that was not necessary! There are horrible principals out there who do things to purposely damage a teacher and have certification denied. If we band together as students, teachers, and parents and overturn the NCLB you will see a better education system. Mandating on test does not justify improvement. I have seen a child go from making a 765 one year to a 798 the next year. Guess what the student still had to attend summer school and did worst and was still passed. So many things goes on you have no idea! I feel so sorry for the principal, students, teacher, and community because NCLB is not helping our future it is destroying our students.. and now as we see our adults.

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Thank you “GANative,” “Whatever,” “RUSure,” “Logical Consequences and “Interesting” for your informative comments. As for Susan, there is nothng that I can say to help you. I learned a long time ago that when you encounter a racist, don’t try to change them through logic because their hatred is not based in logic, rather in fear and ignorance. In addition to racists like Susan the other culprits that should be arrested for this inevitable situation include Governor Sonny Perdue, the members of the Ga. State Legislature and the State Department of Education which continue to use our State Lottery funds for everything that is not associated with education. Let’s also include former President George W. Bush and his cronies who stuck us with NO Child Left Behind. Face it people, NCLB has left more kids behind than we can count.

As for the DeKalb County Prinicpal and Assistant Principal who were arrested, if they are guilty, I belive they were under unimaginanle pressure and they obvioulsly made a terrible mistake. However, when did cheating become a crime? Yes, its unethical, its bad judgement but its NOT a crime!

Come on, the educators who ignored pleas for help from children who were constantly being bullied certainly need to be arrested. Yet, we think its justifiable to arrest misguided but well intentioned educators for cheating. Don’t get me wrong, if guilty, they should be punished but not arrested.

One other thing to consider; suppose they are innocent? Most of us were taught that our justice system presumes you to be innocent until proven guilty. Let’s stop this rush to judgement and start holding the real culprits accountable. Think about it.

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SUSAN’s intentions were to get attention. Please ignore ignorance.

I’m wondering will there be additional arrest there other principals in the schools mentioned have not commented.

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If Dr. John Trotter is going to directly call out SACS President Mark Elgart to an open debate, after everything SACS alleged, but wouldn’t come out and say, about MACE, you would think the AJC would want a comment from Elgart.

Not the first or last time the AJC took a powder when it was presented with a challenge. If you read the AJC Conversation Starter blog, you’ll see where it was asked why the AJC, in the literally dozens of stories it did about Clayton, didn’t do the first story on how SACS conducts business. Wouldn’t that be, to anyone claiming to be an objective reporter, an important, even necessary angle to present?

Of course you can see why they called it Conversation Starter, instead of Conversation Engager, because the AJC editor cut and ran when the going got tough about their SACS coverage.

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Mr. Lucas, Please share more, why should Ralph Simpson be added to the list?

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NCLB, QBE, APEG, GTOI, GTEP, et al. All of it “ain’t” worth S-H-_T. None of the acronyms address D-I-S-C-I-P-L-I-N-E. The responsibility for leanrning should rest squarely on the shoulders of the students and their parents. Give the teachers the authority to run his or her classes with the full backing of the administration. This is how it worked in the old days, and it did indeed work! Bring back the paddle. Yes, the good ole “board of education.” Most people over forty (even educators) grew up in schools where paddling was readity available and used. It was used on my friends, colleagues, and me, and the paddle did not emotionally scar us one bit. In fact, we laugh about our experiences with the paddle in the schools that we attended. I was an administrator in Georgia in the 1980s and used the paddle in two school systems. The discipline was in check, I must say, and the students respected me for the good discipline. Now, however, the discipline is out of control. In fact, a phrase like “DeKalb Discipline” is an oxymoron. It doesn’t matter what program/reform or how much money is thrown at public schooling in Georgia, until the teacher’s classroom authority is restored and teachers are treated with respect (meaning defiant students are swiftly removed from the rregular classroom environments), then the educrats are just spitting into against a Category Five hurricane. Nothing is going to change. In fact, with people like Crawford Lewis and Alvin Wilbanks in charge of our schools, then things will only get worse. (c) MACE, 2009.

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Susan, I’m shaking my head. You made the sickest post for someone who claims to have been a teacher. May I suggest that you pray to whatever god/God you serve and beg for forgiveness that you even chose teaching as a profession. You must have been an inferior teacher that couldn’t make the cut in the white neighborhood schools, so they sent you to a minority district where you failed our children. I wonder how many other “racists” our children suffered the wrath of. You took a job as a teacher because to say that you are a member of such a noble profession is disdainful. Who possibly could have hired you to teach? You are a disgrace to the profession. Your place was in a coal mine or another similar occupation. It’s amazing how you finally got a chance to vent about how you feel in a forum where you wouldn’t be revealed. Coward, racist disgrace to humankind.

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Whats going on in Georgia? Can you people do anything right?

Suggestion: Good advice for your slack-jawed yokel Georgians. Here, this might help some people out:
http://www.iespell.com/

One last bit of advice; the paragraph is your friend.

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Let me clarify a few things before we head down for breakfast…You never allow the the teachers to do the paddling because this could become problematic when there are not adult witnesses and the teacher may be very emotional at this point. The administrator can administer the paddling dispassionately and without the danger of getting carried away, so to speak. Always have an adult witness. Only swat the student two or three times. This makes the point that there are no free trips to the office; there are always consequences for misconduct. If a parent refuses to give their “blessings” to corporal punishment (by law, it is not needed), then simply write this on the student’s disciplinary card (I doubt that today’s administrators even understand this concept) and call the student’s parents to come get him when he or she disrupts the class. This will get very old for the parents. Before you know it, this student begins to behave in school. I have seen this happen so often. But, the administrators have to be consistent in their support for the classroom educators. Corporal punishment is no panacea, but simply another tool in the school’s disciplinary “arsenal.” (c) MACE, 2009/

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Thank you Cobb Teacher for your supporting comments. That is one thing that we as educators do not do enough of, support each other.

It appears to me that a “can of worms have been opened”. Since the Atlanta Journal Constitution has open this up, I would hopt that they follow through with it. Cheating has become the norm, even with our students. Dekalb County has policies and rules in place with students,and staff. However, what we do not have are standards, pride and school support to enforce rules that address these issues. When students are caught cheating, they are given “silent lunch” for 30 minutes, when administrators are caught,they are given promotions.

I am so dissappointed in Dekalb. When you have no standards or pride, you will do anything, and I mean anything.

Dekalb County Board has not standards, if they did they would not have hired a leader, Dr. Crawford Lewis has poor public speaking abilities. Listen to him. I am sure that he did not pass Public Speaking 101 in college. Remember, those who follow you are only as good as your leader. Ask yourself DEKALB COUNTY PARENTS, what has Dr. Crawford brought to the table to offer your child? Can your child compete with other child from around they world? Look at your school board, what do they have to offer. You have a new school board who offered a new three year contract to Crawford Lewis. Why? I think that Dr. Lewis is out of his league. I can understand why parent do not demand more for leaders who hold your child future in the palm of there hands. Wakeup, wakeup parents and take a cook.

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Why do we just know that if it had been teachers who had done this, Maureen “blame teachers first” Downey would have already wrote a column on it? Now that there have been arrests, Downey may have to address it, but the cat is out of the bag, as Downey has shown herself to be nothing more than an administrative apologist.

Downey whined in her last column that she gets accused of teacher bashing, but notice the following.

Even though the AJC has written multiple stories of teachers being assaulted, where lack of administrative support was indicated, Downey chose not to address the issue. Maybe in Downey’s “blame teachers first” mind, only bad teachers get assaulted.

Even though multiple stories have been written about administrators cheating, Downey chose not to address it, or the legitimate concerns that have been raised by teachers on the subject.

Even if she chooses to finally address it now that arrests have been made, she has still shown her true colors. And an unwillingness to defend those words, as when she was asked by a professional association to engage in a debate, she refused to respond.

I’m sure Downey has her sycophants who congratulate her on her “brave” stands. Maybe they will even one day embolden her to engage in a public debate on those stands.

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Dr. Trotter, I agree with many of your points, but a woman with 12 kids cannot really speak about “discipline,” can she?

Keep trying to bring to light the educationally-disfunctional nonsense that occurs here in Georgia.

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Once again the editorial board, this time represented by Andre Jackson, pretends you can address education in Georgia without addressing discipline with a bunch of empty words on how to allegedly improve education.

The same Andre Jackson who, when asked tough questions about the AJC’s coverage on education issues begged off, saying he had to go to feed some kids.

I guess they’ll have to change the saying to, “If you can’t stand the heat, go to the kitchen.”

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Catlady: Mr. James McBride did admit that his house seemed like organized chaos when he was growing up, but he also talked about how his “white mama” (Jewish too) “beat” them whenever she perceived that they got out of line — like when Richie (I think) got stage fright and forgot the Bible story he was suppose to recite in front of the whole church. I thought that this was a bit much! But, you can’t argue with how all 12 of the children turned out! Occasionally getting it wrong as far as being too strict in the discipline is better than pandering and coddling miscreant children simply because you don’t have the intestinal fortitude to discipline them. This is what is happening in our schools today. The thugs are running the show and ruining our schools. The “äverage” students who have not been sequestered into the “gifted” classes have to “survive” in the classes with the thugs, as you, Catlady, have so ably pointed out in posts of the past. It is the “average” students who are suffering so much. The administrators, as I have said in the past, ought to be metaphorically strung up and horse-whipped because of their lack of guts. Mama Ruth in The Color of Water may have screwed up many times in dealing with her children, but she did not let them run the show. She ran the show — to the best of her ability — and her 12 children and many grandchildren honor her to this day for her dogged determination that they were going to make something out of their lives.

Had a great time in Rio today with my Lady and daughter. The beauty and friendliness of this place is breath-taking. But, nothing has been as awesome as the visit up, up, and up Corcovado to see Cristo Redentor, one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

The world sends its best and brightest to our shores to study in our colleges, universities, graduate schools, and medical schools, but they would cringe at the thougth of sending their children to attend one of our urban schools. The urban schools in American are completely in shambles, and as soon as we first admit this, then perhaps can we address the matter. Burying our collective heads in the sand and acting as if thugs are not running the schools will only exasperate the problems and ensure that these schools will continue to be war zones. Heck, even SACS’s Mark Elgart is AFRAID to venture into one of these war zones. Hey Markie boy, I am still waiting for your response to debate me concerning the application of SACS’s almighty “standards.” Are you too afraid of John Trotter, the big, bad wolf? (c) MACE, 2009.

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The AJC’s analysis found 30 schools with gains two standard deviations or above. Haladyna said even improvements more than one standard deviation deserve a second look. Changing fewer answers strategically can be done easily, he said, without triggering gains that send up a clear red flag.

Why not release the names of the schools, AJC?

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It is very sad that any of this has happened. If you have not taught in the school system in the last five years, in the north, south, east, west, black, white, rich, poor, urban, suburban or otherwise, just shut-up. You do not what your are talking about. The state of America’s education is suffering everywhere, but it starts before the teachers, administrators or schools get involved, period. No blaming involved, but education starts at home. WE are tired of being blamed for the woes of society and the people that bring the children into the world are rarely held accountable. Let’s see about having more parents held accountable and responsible instead of listening to their complaining and whining because they are “too tired” or “have to work, and don’t have the time”.

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Some observations…

If Peppermint Candy and “a educated teacher” really are teachers then God help their students. Can you imagine either proofreading a paper?

MACE is a joke. In my humble opinion it is the organization for teachers who can’t teach. (And why do they have to use curse words on their picket signs when they are picketing where children can see? Yes, it is free speech, but couldn’t an educated person find better vocabulary to use?)

There are many great schools in urban areas….Dekalb included…where there are no discipline problems and student achievement is way above the national norm.

Ask teachers and administrators what the problems are regarding NCLB and the CRCT. They won’t tell you it is student discipline. It is the mythical belief that students with an IQ in the 50 – 70 range can perform at grade level and the incomprehensible notion that students who cannot read or write English can score at grade level.

Someone stated that putting a Democrat in the Governor’s Mansion would fix this. This person obviously forgot that it was Roy Barnes’ (Democrat) A+ Reform Act that started all of this and that NCLB was written by both parties. They also forget that NCLB is a federal mandate..not a state one.

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Vince, I think we all know by urban, we are referring to schools with low socioeconomic status. Finding an affluent school with high test scores that happens to be located in an urban area doesn’t refute that there are major discipline problems in urban schools. Don’t get me wrong, many, many, individual students from at risk backgrounds come to school behave well, and indeed perform well.

But when you look at things systemically, instead of individually environment does matter. Your argument sounds too much like one administrations use to scapegoat teachers by pretending that, when we look at things as a whole, environment doesn’t matter.

If it doesn’t matter Vince, can you show us even one school in DeKalb, where the free/reduced lunch rate is say 75% and above, that consistently does better than a school where the free/reduced lunch rate is 25% or below? Not an individual, because I’m sure you could find many, but an entire school? Environment does matter, and to pretend teachers can somehow create a magic bubble where, when the students walk in the door, the environmental dysfunctions and disadvantages they brings to class can be completely wiped out by the teacher is fundamentally dishonest, and a disservice to teachers and students.

Please don’t use Atherton as an example LOL.

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Not to make a mountain out of a molehill, but of course that last sentence should have referred to the disadvantages they bring to class, not the disadvantages they brings to class.

Better to catch it yourself, before the grammar police do LOL

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Resolve…your interpretations are crazy. The bottom line is the MAJORITY of poor performing schools in GA are predominately black and low income. I guess thats whiteys fault huh?

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One might agree or disagree with the stance on paddling, but what exactly is wrong with having a mantra of discipline? Is it not key?

Is there any other profession, were managers are expected to be accountable for the performance of those they supervise, but those they supervise can refuse to work, openly disrespect, and even threaten and assault the manager, all under a system that does not enforce consistent consequences?

There is no way a bank manager would have to tolerate an employee saying “F-ck off!” or “I’ll kill you b-tch!” and then have that manager’s supervisor let the employee go right back to work, with no real consequences. And can you imagine adding insult to injury by lecturing the bank manager on how it was their fault, for not managing the employee’s behavior?

But somehow we think it’s ok to subject teachers to that type of abuse all the time. Notice I didn’t say every time, but if you don’t think this happens, and happens far too often, you simply aren’t being honest about the state of education today.

I can’t say that I’ve ever heard the other professional organizations talk as honestly about the discipline issues as MACE has. And I don’t see the argument where MACE has been biased. Have they not taken Cobb and Gwinnett systems to task on discipline just as vociferously as they have DeKalb and Clayton?

You don’t have to agree with everything MACE has done, or advocates, to appreciate that when it comes to discipline, and specifically not supporting the classroom teacher, the 5000lbs elephant no one wants to talk about, MACE has led the way when the other organizations have fallen short.

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