APS school board: Playing politics while the system reels from CRCT mess
As a new reporter fresh out of graduate school, I worked at a paper in northern New Jersey and covered every board, commission and traffic accident in several towns. I liked school board detail least.
The first reason was that I was 23, had no kids and couldn’t muster enthusiasm for the long debates over what color to paint the high school halls — one school board member was a “colorist” and had strong feelings about soothing tones — or whether there ought to be stop sign or traffic light two blocks from the school. But the school boards also had the most political drama, the most intrigue. Almost immediately upon taking over the beat I would get phone calls from school board members assailing a colleague’s motives or alleging conspiracies. I could not understand how adults could get so caught up in what seemed petty power grabs, at least to a young reporter.
Those memories came back to me Monday when the Atlanta Board of Education devoted an inordinate amount of time to whether it could legally change the number of members necessary to oust the chair — which seems to the goal. It is not clear whether the next step after replacing the chair would be to go after the superintendent or simply take control to have tighter rein on the system.
The board — which started its work session late — then disappeared into executive sessions for a matter that I am still not sure qualified under open records law since this was no pending litigation but a difference of opinion on what the charter allowed and whether the board was free to seek legal advice directly from someone else. One board member had obtained a letter from the General Assembly legislative counsel, which she and her crew argued ought to prevail.
(I have to point out that the Legislature’s legal counsel has overseen many laws that are later overturned in court, so I am not sure why it is considered definitive. You only have to look at our half-baked sex offender laws that never held up in court to wonder what kind of legal advice the Legislature is getting. Of course, a big problem is that pandering lawmakers often ignore their legal counsel. That practice would end tomorrow if we only held elected officials personally liable for lawsuits resulting from stupid laws that they passed over the objections of their own legal counsel,)
These school board antics kept an audience of at least 200 people twiddling their thumbs. (Some of us used the time to discuss which is the most functional school board in metro Atlanta. Gwinnett was the consensus.)
What happens to smart people when they get elected to a public office?
How could five members of the nine-member APS board think this power play was more important than taking a lead on this CRCT mess and restoring public confidence in a system that has been badly damaged by confirmation of widespread cheating at 12 of its schools and troubling incidences at many more?
I agree with all the speakers during the public portion of the APS meeting: Whatever this plotting is about, stop it and get down to the serious problems at hand.
When the board did turn to the CRCT issue, it listened politely to Dr. Hall as she outlined a thorough and detailed report on how APS was going to respond to the Blue Ribbon Panel’s recommendations on cleaning up testing and providing help to students whose scores were altered. And they asked good questions, including how much was all this going to cost and how many kids were affected. Neither of those questions were answered.
It was also clear that there was a lot of support for Dr. Hall in that room among the parents and community members on hand. And those parents offered a reason that many of Hall’s critics overlook: These folks who live in Altanta and whose children and grandchildren attended APS know what the system used to be like. And they think Hall has changed it for the better. I talked to a woman raising her three grandchildren, all of whom attend APS schools. She told me that the system is “a world better from what it was when my own five children were there.”
Those at arm’s length who argue that Hall has to go aren’t talking to these parents and grandparents. Folks keep citing Clayton County and noting that I was a critic of that administration, but I went to a lot of parent meetings and school board meetings during the Clayton crisis. Those parents had a much differnet point of view; their system was not better. They were not happy with its direction. They organized against the board and the superintendent.
It is not just that Hall has the support of the chamber types; she has a lot of support from the real APS clients, the parents.
Should that matter?
As an editorial writer, I often had to ask myself why so many voters re-elected lawmakers who did nothing or did damage. Part of it is that those lawmakers often reached out to voters and paid attention to the smaller issues, and that’s what voters valued. Did the lawmaker help get new band uniforms? Did she or he show up at the community picnic? Did he or she take a picture with their son’s soccer team? Did they listen to complaints about lines at the car tag office?
Those are all small acts, but they matter to people. Hall has apparently done a lot of stuff that matters to parents. And that may be enough to keep her in office until she steps down next year.
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109 comments Add your comment
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
10:29 am
We trust you haven’t forgotten about the new and damaging information about the true meaning of NAEP as it relates to APS, information the AJC has conveniently scrubbed clean from the AJC website.
Have you received feedback from the AJC higher ups as to why the information was scrubbed from the website? Please don’t say because it was a “draft” because that is a “dodge”-no pun intended.
catlady
August 17th, 2010
10:33 am
Harken back to the blog topic about parents being pleased because they believe the PR that the system is putting out. (Yes, I am putting 2 ideas together to make that statement).
APS may BE better; the data suggests that it is not. I am betting if you talk to the parents of kids shuffled to the alternative academies right before testing or right before the headcount is taken, they might disagree based on first hand knowledge, not PR.
This is an abrasive, but I believe true statement: If Hall were a white man, she would have been fired months ago.
One lie–possibly a mistake. But lie upon lie–how many more?
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
10:37 am
Oh Maureen you didn’t.
“How could five members of the nine-member APS board think this power play was more important than taking a lead on this CRCT mess and restoring public confidence in a system that has been badly damaged by confirmation of widespread cheating at 12 of its schools and troubling incidences at many more?”
You keep forgetting your readers are not ignorant and uninformed Maureen. This isn’t Rodney Ho’s blog. Maybe Maureen, the Furious Five have finally had enough of the ethical lapses and they are in fact replacing the chair as a precursor to replacing Dr. Hall. Maybe the Furious Five have heard from their constituents and want to do the right thing for Atlanta.
If this is the case, what is better. Taking the parliamentary steps needed to accomplish this, or go on a public dog and pony show for the public? The public has had that for well over a year now. Sounds to me like the Furious Five very well may be doing the right thing.
Futbol Soccer Opinion » Blog Archive » APS school board: Playing politics while the system reels from CRCT mess – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)
August 17th, 2010
10:43 am
[...] APS school board: Playing politics while the system reels from CRCT messAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog)Did he or she take a picture with their son's soccer team? Did they listen to complaints about lines at the car tag office? Those are all small acts, …and more » [...]
cityzen
August 17th, 2010
10:43 am
Maureen, You appear to assume that the 5 dissident board members are not motivated by a desire to clean up the APS mess that the AJC’s persistent investigations have revealed.
It’s quite possible that this is merely petty feuding, but do you have evidence for that? Were any of the 5 Edupac (i.e., business) picks and were all of the 4 Edupac folks?
The rest of us, outsiders who only pay for the system, would be interested in hearing the positions that the respective school board factions / members take on Hall’s fitness to continue leading and on the right way forward. Are any reporters planning to ask them?
ThrowTheBumsOut
August 17th, 2010
10:43 am
I’ve been watching this drama unfold, and maybe there has been some good in the Hall administration, but the time has come for change. When endemic greed takes control, and our children are pushed to the bottom of the priority list, house cleaning is necessary.
Let’s privatize the APS. Let Beverly and the current ‘leadership’ bid on it too. We’re not getting our money’s worth, and the children are the ones being harmed. The children are graduating with hardly a middle school capability.
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
10:44 am
“Those at arm’s length who argue that Hall has to go aren’t talking to these parents and grandparents.”
Maureen, Maureen, surely you are not implying that the only critics of Dr. Hall are people who are at “arm’s length”?
And while we are at it:
“These folks who live in Altanta and whose children and grandchildren attended APS know what the system used to be like. And they think Hall has changed it for the better.”
Maureen, is it not also true a lot of people thought Jim Jones changed their lives for the better; right up to the very moment they drank the Kool-Aid?
An advocate for public education change & choice
August 17th, 2010
10:45 am
@Maureen – This blog puts IMHO, an intresting spin on yesterdays APS BOE meeting. From my observation of the community comment section of the meeting, I didn’t leave with the impression that the majority of the crowd were strong supporters of Dr. Hall and her staff. Instead, what I saw was a concerned group of like minded community members who banded together to form an effective advocacy on behalf of SCHOOL PRINCIPALS who they felt were unfairly displaced. There is a big distinction between those two points.
I agree the meeting overall made for some interesting poltical theatre. I was struck by how many of the supporters (who seemed to represent F.L. Stanton, judging from the t-shirts worn) appeared inclinded to accept they were the victims of racial discrimination. In so doing, I believe the finer points of the concern escape them. Nevertheless, to see a group of concerned parents demanding some accountability from both the APS BOE and Dr. Hall et al was refreshing.
Lastly, I’ll say that while I think Mayor Reed’s attempt to interject himself into the fray was quite interesting. This is one battle that it would seem he would want to stray away from rather than thrust himself into. Unless City Hall has plans to take over adminstration of the district best he stay on the sidelines for this fight unless otherwise compelled to take a stand. Yesterday, was not that moment. All I can say is alot of political grandstanding took place yesterday.
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
10:49 am
@cityzen, I think Maureen has an excellent idea of what the Furious Five may be doing. What they may be doing is actually trying to restore confidence in APS by calling for Hall’s ouster, which would do a lot more to ever restore confidence that Maureen’s solution of a dog and pony show board meeting.
I strongly suspect that’s why Maureen is so critical of them. It look’s like she’s trying to discredit them in order to shill for Dr. Hall.
Maureen?
Dr NO
August 17th, 2010
10:51 am
APS, Clayton and Dekalb boards are chock full of useless AssClowns with very low, if any, moral character and are a reflection of the persons who elected them.
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
10:55 am
@An advocate, that is an excellent point. There’s a clear and distinct difference between parents supporting the local school personnel and parents supporting Dr. Hall.
Maureen seems to be hell bent (heck bent?) on defending Hall at this point. Remember all the promises she made to Attentive Parent to address the serious concerns that many have about the true meaning of NAEP scores as it relates to APS?
Well when none other than the AJC itself, on the front page of the Sunday paper, more than validates Attentive Parent’s concerns about NAEP scores, and then Maureen goes back on her word that she will address this, it looks like Maureen may have some explaining to do as far as her own accountability.
Uncle D
August 17th, 2010
11:00 am
@ Dr. NO This type of behavior takes place in school board meetings all around the State, but outside the glare (for the most part) of the AJC and other Atlanta media.
Springdale Park Elementary Parent
August 17th, 2010
11:01 am
Mayor Reed wants to lure more businesses to Atlanta but knows it’s a hard sell to ask families to relocate into a scandal-plagued school system that manipulates data (and forcibly transfers slow-learning children to truly awful schools) to suit its narrative.
Is Bev better than what we used to have? That’s not the relevant question anymore. Is Bev really the best we can do, and can anyone have confidence in APS under her leadership going forward? That’s the question now.
EnoughAlready
August 17th, 2010
11:04 am
Reed stepping into the fray was absolutely the right thing for him to do. The quality of education in the city of Atlanta will be its down fall and the mayor should have a say. They need real leadership and I believe he has proven himself over the course of the last few months to be a leader.
I’m also happy to see many parents and grandparents with students in the APS attending the meeting and letting their voices be heard. If they don’t stand up for themselves, the decisions about their kid’s education will continue to become a media circus. I don’t believe that parents are happy about the allegations of cheating, but want to keep a since of normalcy for the APS students. The children are the ones being hurt by cheating and allegations of cheating by their administration. They are the ones who will have to prove to the world that they are being educated by the APS.
Last, I don’t believe that firing Hall or any of the administrators will improve the APS. I would put them all on tighter strings, with a clear warning of what would happen should anything like that happen in the future. All the students affected by the cheating scandal should be given tutoring (before and after school) at those locations and retested. To eliminate cheating in the future a new testing monitoring policy should be implemented.
Maureen Downey
August 17th, 2010
11:07 am
@Maureen, Then let the Furious Five make their stand and make their case. The fact that everyone on this blog is guessing what their motives are is the first problem. This is not a private body; these folks are elected. They ought to explain to voters what they are doing and why.
From years of covering ag boards to zoning boards, I have found that those who spend a lot of time maneuvering and who keep voters guessing seldom have the good of the community foremost. If these five think Hall should go, what are they waiting for to make a public stand?
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
11:08 am
“Last, I don’t believe that firing Hall or any of the administrators will improve the APS. I would put them all on tighter strings, with a clear warning of what would happen should anything like that happen in the future.”
How many times does it need to happen Enough? It already happened once several years ago, Jim Donsky did a great report about suspicious gains, which word was, made the higher ups at the AJC none too happy. How many incidents of falsified data and cheating, and violations of the law-what happened to the E-Rate story AJC?-before we really say Enough already
“All the students affected by the cheating scandal should be given tutoring (before and after school) at those locations and retested.”
APS is giving tutor at 58 schools caught up in the scandal. Why 58 if only 12 cheated?
Maureen Downey
August 17th, 2010
11:09 am
@Maureen, Again, you and I can’t stop the people who want to drink the Kool-Aid, swim in it or use it as a mixer. My point is that you can’t discuss Dr. Hall’s future without acknowledging her community support. This is not an attempt to cover up the problems, but to state the whole picture.
Maureen Downey
August 17th, 2010
11:12 am
@An Advocate, I am not sure why Reed has chosen this moment. Nor do I know if he can do any more than speak as a concerned citizen unless he would stage a takeover bid and I would think that the city’s problems are enough for him right now.
I also understand that Shirley Franklin may be approaching Arne Duncan to get involved.
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
11:13 am
@Maureen, Then let the Furious Five make their stand and make their case. The fact that everyone on this blog is guessing what their motives are is the first problem.
On this point, I don’t disagree with you. Not sure why you have to have the cloak and daggers behavior. Why not make a motion, second it, vote on it and be done with it? Could it be that they are trying to get every duck in a row, so that they don’t get derailed by a political power play?
And what happened to the NAEP concerns that you promised to address? Will you give us a definite time frame as to when you will address them. “Check back shortly” isn’t going to cut it LOL. We see you completely dropped the E-Rate story after saying that whopper!
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
11:14 am
What business does Arne Duncan have in the decisions of a local school board? Wouldn’t the answer to that be “zero”?
Maureen Downey
August 17th, 2010
11:14 am
@Maureen, I have a call into NAEP to see about getting a piece on Atlanta and on the issue of whether white students were overrepresented on the recent administration of the test. Will post when I get something.
Maureen Downey
August 17th, 2010
11:20 am
@Maureen. Zero is about right. But I find these political skirmishes are like traffic accidents on the interstate. Everyone wants to slow down and get a close look at the mayhem.
Raquel Morris
August 17th, 2010
11:40 am
Maureen, I agree that the ABE is a big ol mess. But, its members were duly elected by the voters they represent. They at least deserve the same benefit of the doubt you’ve given to the appointed and unaccountable School Superintendent.
I agree with you, however, that members of the Board of Education should make their intentions known regarding Dr. Hall’s future, the cheating/grad rate/NAEP fraud issues, and everything else. Since you’re a member of the press, why not ask them what their intentions are?
An advocate for public education change & choice
August 17th, 2010
11:49 am
@Enough Already – While you make valid points about how public education could/should be a draw to bring more business to the Atlanta, Mayor Reed stepping in the middle of the APS BOE debates over its governance is like a APS BOE member or Dr. Hall trying to sway influence over City Council governance. My point is there is a time and place for a disply of leadership by the Mayor and I personally don’t think last nite was it. It came off to me as more political grandstanding. Where has his voice been before this stage providing guidence and leadership to steer things in a progressive direction? I’m with Maureen on this one, he has much bigger fish to fry at this point in his own shop.
@Maureen – Newsflash, dragging Arne Duncan into the mix will amount to little. Sec Duncan and Dr. Hall are old buddies on the circuit by virture of Duncan’s days running the Chicago school district. Sec Duncan has been influencial in positioning Dr. Hall on the national stage and has a vested interest seeing this matter go away quietly for Dr. Hall. Sadly this battle is best fought on a local front with the constituants of APS staging a united front demanding progressive change to a adminstrative culture whose chickens have now come home to roost.
Also, after reading the original “..In Dr Hall’s own words” article (aka The Working Draft) vs the revised draft published as “Atlanta Grad Rate Doesn’t Add Up”, the AJC editorial staff should be ashamed of themselves for trying to bury the facts of this situation. The revised completely strips the original “working draft” of its most damning evidence. They have done an extreme disservice to the community for having done so! And you can quote me !!!
Aiken Faque
August 17th, 2010
11:52 am
One of the things that I am glad about in respect to this Blog, is that Henry County schools are not considered part of Metro Atlanta.
Maureen Downey
August 17th, 2010
11:54 am
@An Advocate, I understand that Duncan and Hall are pals. I think that is why he is here so often visiting APS schools and attending Atlanta events. I don’t think he can add much to the CRCT discussion, except to bring some national attention.
Chris Murphy, Atlanta, GA
August 17th, 2010
12:01 pm
Maureen: can you institute an age limit for posters so the 5 yr. old can be banned?
HHW
August 17th, 2010
12:11 pm
Funny how Clayton County was stripped of their Accreditation (now on Probation) for having elected stupid board members, who could not agree. APS got bigger problems CHEATERS!!!!!! and you reassigned them to other schools to do what CHEAT??? Where is SACS on this issue?????? oh it is only 13 schools. That is 13 schools too many…….. and the beat goes on… Beverly I think you need to step down, and do it now!!!
Dr NO
August 17th, 2010
12:17 pm
Uncle D
August 17th, 2010
11:00 am
Uh NO…not quite.
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
12:23 pm
@Maureen, I have a call into NAEP to see about getting a piece on Atlanta and on the issue of whether white students were overrepresented on the recent administration of the test. Will post when I get something.
I hope when you post, you will also reference the excellent work that your reporters did that was subsequently scrubbed from the website. I know you did your part and passed these concerns along up the pay grade, but I take it we shouldn’t hold our breath as far as them responding to their customer base via the blog?
@Advocate. No doubt about the Hall/Duncan connection; that is why, as Maureen put it, everybody was “exceedingly polite” when Duncan came down here for his recent photo op.
Polite but truthful doesn’t seem to be a valid concept to Duncan when it comes to APS and forget being “exceedingly truthful.”
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
12:26 pm
As far as the Furious Five. What if they are really trying to do the right thing; restore some much needed credibility and accountability, first by removing the chair after her delusional statements that it was “impossible” for Dr. Hall to have known about any cheating, and then holding Hall herself accountable.
Even if they are doing the right thing, is there any reason they couldn’t have just made a motion, seconded the motion, and voted right there on the spot instead of retreating and having people “twiddle their thumbs” as Maureen put it, wondering what the heck was going on?
Is there a legitimate reason for the cloak and dagger show?
Attentive Parent
August 17th, 2010
12:28 pm
Maureen-
Please don’t forget that the 2009 NAEP Urban report says that Hispanics and ELL students were not tested sufficiently to make them a reportable group.
In 4th grade reading report says Hispanics were less than 1%.
That’s not reflective of the demographics of APS.
EnoughAlready
August 17th, 2010
12:30 pm
Aiken Faque
August 17th, 2010
11:52 am
Keep wishing!!! They might not be officially, but when most think of Metro Atlanta; we include Henry and Fayette. And the reason is due to the number of parents who commute to Atlanta to work everyday.
a [parent
August 17th, 2010
12:39 pm
I think Dr. Hall has accept responbility for the cheating scandal at APS. I would hope and pray that the 12 principal would not return to their former jobs. Enough! is enough time to move on, our students need to focus on his or her education.
Glad I could afford to send my children to Pvt. School
August 17th, 2010
12:40 pm
Like most things in Atlanta this is a case of the Political machine stealing from poor blacks. Too bad that’s the way the system works.
catlady
August 17th, 2010
12:47 pm
One thing that I am heartened to see is that it appears more people (other than the 2 or 3 who’ve been on it all along) are more willing to call assertations into questions. In the past, if someone raised questions, they were called “racist” or “uninformed” or just ignored. NOW maybe more of these miraculous happenings will be exposed for what they really are: Lies.
I believe Hall should be fired, and her pay taken to repay the money she got through fraud. Perhaps some fraud charges should be made, as well.
Educators have a hard enough time without (stuff) like this.
Raquel Morris
August 17th, 2010
12:51 pm
Maureen, your competition is outshining you. Creative Loafing offered a far more balanced look at the attempt to replace the ABE Chair. Get this, Scott Henry didn’t assume that five duly elected officials intended to break the law.
http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2010/08/16/atlanta-school-board-meeting-is-scene-of-failed-coup
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
1:00 pm
As far as Creative Loafing goes, where the heck have they been the last year and a half? You could always count on Creative Loafing to provide a much needed check and balance to the AJC’s “Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce-centric” agenda.
In this case though, Creative Loafing dropped the ball. Hopefully this is an indication they are ready to get into the game, and give us some answers as to what motivates LaChandra Butler Burks to make delusional statements such as it was “impossible” for Dr. Hall to have known about CRCT cheating.
Don’t know the why Butler-Burks would sacrifice her credibility for making statements like that, but if it costs her politically, it will be a just dessert.
Honesty
August 17th, 2010
1:02 pm
Ahhhhhh…..the wonderful world of teachers’ unions and Government schools.
Attentive Parent
August 17th, 2010
1:04 pm
Whitney Tilson refers to the now scrubbed AJC story as a “bomb of an article which raises many troubling questions”.
He also pointed out that when he had praised Hall before the story he had gotten “pushback from friends in Atlanta” saying she was no friend of charters and not much of an ed reformer.
When one of the founders of Democrats for Ed Reform who is pictured with Bill Gates at an ed conference on charters starts to question his previous praise, the national support is indeed beginning to wane.
Imagine if he had read an article that more accurately described the extent of the messing with NAEP.
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
1:08 pm
Attentive Parent, do you find it troubling that the AJC hierarchy won’t respond to the concerns Maureen passed along about why the story was scrubbed from the website?
Dr NO
August 17th, 2010
1:10 pm
I would love to see Beverly Hall behind bars…
@honesty
August 17th, 2010
1:12 pm
Honesty you can sure lay this at the foot of government schools, as even Arne Duncan is willing to protect Hall, but honestly, “the unions” have little or nothing to do with this one.
In fact one of the teacher organizations, MACE has been at the forefront of calling for a full investigation into the cheating into APS. Now it is true the organizations that represent administrators, PAGE and GAE did not second that call. Wonder why?
Maureen Downey
August 17th, 2010
1:12 pm
@Raquel, Couple quick responses. First, it is no secret five APS board members want to oust their chair. They made that clear the last meeting and it is why the chair was so well prepared to argue against them with her citations of law. I think everyone knows that part.
The part that is murky is why. They have a five to four majority as it stands right now. If they get rid of the chair, how does that better position them to fire Hall? Why can’t they move now on that, if it is their goal?
My issue with breaking the law is the going into executive session. Scott didn’t get into whether their decision to discuss their charter in secret met with the letter of the open meetings law; I would argue it definitely didn’t meet with the spirit. I have real problems with shutting out the public and have made the point many times that elected boards should limit their closed door sessions and always err on the side of sunshine.
Maureen
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
1:15 pm
“The part that is murky is why. They have a five to four majority as it stands right now. If they get rid of the chair, how does that better position them to fire Hall? Why can’t they move now on that, if it is their goal. I don’t understand why they can’t press their points now?”
I was hoping you’d have an answer for that Maureen! LOL. Why can’t one of them make a motion, second the motion, then call a vote on it?
It would be a shame if the Furious Five, if they truly are willing to do what’s best as far as holding Hall accountable, mucks it up with cloak and dagger stuff.
Raquel Morris
August 17th, 2010
1:16 pm
Maureen, thanks for the response, but I was also saying that the five board members should make clear their intentions regarding Dr. Hall’s future. That’s the question of the day for me, not what happens to their Board Chair.
By the way, there is talk that there was a secret meeting of a group of Board members over the weekend. Have you asked around about that?
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
1:17 pm
Maureen, safe to assume your higher ups are in “closed door executive session” to discuss how best to respond to the readers’ concerns passed along yesterday about why the NAEP/APS story was scrubbed?
chillywilly
August 17th, 2010
1:22 pm
Having worked for APS for close to 30 years, I strongly disagree that the school system is “a world better than it use to be”. Let me give you a perspective from an APS employee who has seen the good, the bad, & the ugly (Dr. Hall’s tenure). Prior to Beverly Hall’s arrival, there was more parental participation, more student discipline, everybody worked extremely hard and earned it the honest way. After Beverly Hall arrived, you immediately saw an increase in employees from “The North”. It didn’t matter whether they were qualified or not, as long as they were northerners, they were okay in her mind. She hired some of her former students from New York as APS Principals. As a matter of fact, she hired one woman from New York as Principal & her fiance as a Paraprofessional. This same Principal was run off by the teachers & parents and is still employed by APS. The current CFO was terminated and Beverly Hall hired a CFO from New Jersey to replace her. He lasted about 6 months and was terminated. In the meantime, two retired former school executives were placed at APS on a contract basis to “clean up APS finances”. According to the State Auditor at the time, Nader Sohrab, APS finances were in bad shape. APS Finance Management Team strongly disagreed with Sohrab, but he stood firm in his decision to write APS up for numerous audit findings. Please keep in mind that one of the retired finance contractors was the father of a leading Geogia Legislator. I understand that the Legislator was (is) a golfing buddy of Russell Hinton, Georgia State Auditor (and Sohrab’s boss). For some reason, Dr. Hall hired Chuck Burbridge as the new CFO. People at APS are still wondering what she was smoking when she hired Burbridge. Shortly after Burbridge arrival, he & Dr. Hall decided to offer State Auditor, Nader Sohrab a job as Executive Director of Finance Technology Comptroller. According to Burbridge, Sohrab was APS enemy and he wanted to hire him at APS so that they could watch him. Needless to say, Sohrab jumped at the opportunity to work for APS, especially since it came with a huge pay increase over his state job. Not long after Sohrab arrived, APS Finances were in great shape all of a sudden. Oh really?? Were the finances as bad as Sohrab said they were when he audited APS as a State Auditor? And now, he rides in and saves the day? Yeah right. To sum this all up (I could actually write a book), Dr. Hall said that if one person cheats, that is one too many. Well if that is the case, why hasn’t she done anything about the latest Erate issue or the employees who cheated on their time and attendance? Or investigated the numerous complaints of abuse that was filed against Sohrab by female employees.
Dr. Hall, resigning is not running away from the problem. Instead, it is the first step in cleaning up the extreme culture of corruption at APS. I think many people agree with me, including at least 5 of your Board Members.
Dr. Hall, please take that first step now.
Maureen, I suggest you organize a town hall meeting or round table discussion of current & former APS employees, students, and parents. You can include business people to so that they can tell us how APS provided them with that profit margin.
I’m interested. Let me know.
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
1:29 pm
Maureen would you deny that there is indeed a culture of corporate corruption at APS?
Maureen Downey
August 17th, 2010
1:30 pm
@Raquel, I have just sent e-mails to all five of those board members asking if we can just hear from them as to why they are pursuing this issue now. I will let you know if I get any responses and post.
I have not heard that there was a quorum of members that met this weekend. If you have any info, please send to either me or Kristina Torres at ktorres@ajc.com
Maureen
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
1:37 pm
As long as we are sending emails Maureen.
Why not send one to Kathy Augustine asking if she still stands by her statement that there is no need to look into the scores “because she expects outliers every year.”
How about one to the board chair asking if she still stands behind her statement that it was “impossible” that Hall knew anything about cheating?
Hope the Furious Five, if they are indeed trying to do the right thing, don’t blow it by allowing a self induced red herring to derail them.
Aquagirl
August 17th, 2010
1:50 pm
Can we get Maureen? Maureen? to run for the APS Board? Incessant whining, MEMEME focus, the attitude everyone exists to serve you, micromanagement, constant accusations of coverups…yep, there’s some real potential there.
There’s some decent, thoughtful commentary here, but it’s like trying to listen to grownups talk while a 5 year old wants attention.
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
1:54 pm
Sounds like someone jealous Maureen didn’t call their posts witty and well informed LOL.
Maureen? Maureen?
August 17th, 2010
1:56 pm
Now aqualgirl if you want to make a case about a lot of posts; guilty as charged. And you are more than welcome to point out any areas of disagreement with any of the posts made today.
Shar
August 17th, 2010
2:14 pm
If I was a dissident Board member I’d be further irritated by a “thorough and detailed report on how APS was going to respond to the Blue Ribbon Panel’s recommendations” when absolutely no one had yet endorsed the findings of said commission, and particularly when the report didn’t cover such foundation issues as how much it would cost and how many kids had been betrayed by greedy administrators. Why is Hall forging ahead willynilly without either approval or authority? Just another issue that calls into question her motives and intentions.
There may have been parents there who supported their individual schools, but the crowd of 200 was not necessarily representative of APS parents or Atlanta taxpayers. Mayor Reed most likely understands that the tax burden on Atlanta property owners has depressed home prices and driven voter anger, and that confiscating money to pay for a corrupt and nonfunctional system is politically impossible. APS has become all too comfortable telling the BOE how much money they want, and the BOE setting rates accordingly. That process will not be smooth this year, and Reed knows he’s looking at financial meltdown. No wonder he is taking a hand.
Attentive Parent
August 17th, 2010
2:24 pm
Two Questions that would help clarify APS use of the NAEP scores and would have made a nice addition to that “bomb of an article” that was already so damning that it had to be scrubbed.
1) The 2009 TUDA reading report says 1300 APS 4th graders and 900 8th graders took the NAEP test.
What were the total number of 4th graders in 2009 and 8th graders so we can calculate the percentage of test takers?
2) Since the report says the percentage of ELL students tested by APS in 4th grade was only 1%, how many APS 4th graders are classified as ELL?
The report further states that APS did not test enough Hispanics in either 4th or 8th for Hispanics to constitute a reporting group.
Why not?
That’s three but the last 2 are related.
Also the story failed to note the substantial revisions to the 2009 NAEP reading test. The excuse that all those changes do not matter because they are just new ways of testing reading comprehension was pretty weak.
It appears that the 2009 reading NAEP had to be dumbed down to reflect an overall decline in reading skills.
What % of APS students are Hispanic?
Attentive Parent
August 17th, 2010
2:28 pm
Sorry. That last line should be after the Why Not?
That’s what I get from glancing at my notes while typing.
@Attentive Parent
August 17th, 2010
2:28 pm
I wonder if the reporters on the NAEP/APS story got the same decontamination treatment from AJC bosses that Meryl Streep did in Silkwood?
Aquagirl
August 17th, 2010
2:43 pm
Well Maureen?Maureen? I’ll politely decline your invitation to reply to your posts, since you don’t extend the same courtesy to others–including Maureen— when the topic is anything but what you want to talk about. Sorry if that sounds mean but there’s no other way to really say it.
I’ll freely admit to not being an insider who flings about acronyms like they’re second nature; I’m sure you contribute valuable information both in your posts and in e-mails to Maureen. I admire your obvious dedication to not letting administrators or anyone else get away with being corrupt or just plain running the train off of a cliff. Unfortunately–and again, I’m saying this as kindly as I can—-you sound like you’re holding a private conversation with Maureen a la shrieking into a cellphone at the grocery store. But I have a feeling I’m missing some of your points just because your posts kind of make my eyes bleed. If that doesn’t bother you, it’s certainly a free country, and you’re certainly not obligated to consider anyone but Maureen when posting here. Have at it.
irisheyes
August 17th, 2010
2:48 pm
@honesty, THERE ARE NO TEACHERS UNIONS IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA. PLEASE, PEOPLE, GET IT!!!
(Sorry for the all caps, but that is the one sentence that drives me crazy. If you are that uninformed, then there’s alot more about Georgia schools that you probably don’t get either.)
An advocate for public education change & choice
August 17th, 2010
2:58 pm
Though, I often try to refrain from drifting into the land of esoteric speculation, allow me to briefly detour there. Is it plausible that the so-called “Furious Five” or some subset therein have been biding time throughout this process and in face of what the BRC’s report have wrought have desided that now is the time for them to take more aggressive action? Given the overly political environment that is the APS BOE & Central Office, I can’t blame the group for taking measures to ensure they are on solid footing before throwing down the gauntlet.
@ Maureen – I believe they were trying to hang there hat on the following as justification for going into Executive Session:
–Discuss employment, periodic evaluations or disciplinary actions regarding a public officer or employee. However, the presentation of evidence or argument in disciplinary cases must be open. And any action taken must occur at an open meeting. Meetings to discuss personnel policies in general must be open.
However to your point, I agree there is STRONG argument that suggests the move was not within the acceptable bounds of invoking executive session.
Heavyhitter
August 17th, 2010
3:02 pm
Dr Hall, please pack your bags, clean out your desk and start looking for a new job. You would save us all a lot of time and allow us to start the search for your replacement. Now Dr Hall, Please.
Maureen Downey
August 17th, 2010
3:16 pm
@An advocate, They invoked the attorney-client privilege exemption to go into closed session, which states:
An advocate for public education change & choice
August 17th, 2010
3:17 pm
@irisheyes – While your statement is technically correct, it’s practically speaking misleading. There are organizations that operate in principally in manner consistant with a Union but simply lack that formal definition. Specifically these groups do spend alot of money to lobby the GA legislature and local boards on behalf of the positions they acvocate. That doesn’t necessarily make them bad but it does make them just as influencial in this state as the AFT or NEA. Tomato, Toe Mato in my book.
@Attentive Parent – According to March, 2009 FTE counts published for APS, there were approximately 3,985 4th graders and 3,108 8th graders enrolled. Therefore that would me based on your NAEP counts approximately 32.6% of 4th graders and 28.9% of 8th graders were NAEP tested within APS.
reality
August 17th, 2010
3:25 pm
Parents and Grandparents that are supporting the administration(s) at APS or specific schools are throwing their kids under the bus! Anyone with minimal common sense can see that the system is broken, corrupt, and unethical. “Better than before” is like the bum that exchanges his shoes for a pair found at the curb because the “new” pair only has 2 holes in each. There is more than enough money thrown at APS to get better results. Enough excuses already.
@advocate
August 17th, 2010
3:32 pm
@irisheyes – While your statement is technically correct, it’s practically speaking misleading. There are organizations that operate in principally in manner consistant with a Union but simply lack that formal definition.
As a practical matter I’m not really sure how misleading it is. For example how many true unions represent workers and management, as PAGE and GAE do?
Another Mom
August 17th, 2010
3:49 pm
Maureen, who are the “Furious Five?”
An advocate for public education change & choice
August 17th, 2010
3:51 pm
@irisheyes – What’s misleading is you boldly declare there are no teachers union’s in GA, which to me suggests there are no organizations operating in GA which wield a simular influence on public policy.
My basic point is PAGE and GAE have opportunity to get their voice added to the discussion about as much as the NEA or AFT. The fact their voice may not net policies that align with the positions they advocate for is another matter.
another concerned parent
August 17th, 2010
3:53 pm
The “Furious five” are not out for a power grab- they are the only ones actually listening to what going on. It’s Hall, Burks, and the AEF (and their PR firms) they are up against. I applaud them for finally trying to take control of the situation. I wish they would publicly take a stand and explain to everyone what is happening behind closed doors.
Lynn43
August 17th, 2010
4:04 pm
From:” A Guide to School Law in Georgia”, p. 46 5.20 by Harben and Hartley. “The board may enter into an executive session or closed session for the following reasons:
_Discussions protected by the attorney-client privilege
_Student disciplinary proceedings
_Discussions regarding the acquisitions of real estate
_Discussions regarding certain personnel issues
_Discussions involving an individual student’s educational records.
Also, in section 5.21: “in order to consult and meet with legal counsel pertaining to pending or potential litigation, settlement, claims, administrative proceedings, or other judicial actions brought or to be brought by or against the (school district) or any officer or employee”.
The board attorney, who should be in the meeting, is supposed to sign a legal document stating that nothing but these topics were discussed.
Do any of these topics fit. I hope I gave Sam and Phil enough credit.
No Fun
August 17th, 2010
4:11 pm
Most of the parents of school age children were educated in APS, this would explain the lack of intellect and good judgement evidenced by the continued support of Dr. Hall. Further, Bill Campbell was elected mayor two times dispite ample evidence of corruption and incompetence. The citizens of Atlanta tolerated and supported the reign of Chief Pennington right up until the murder of Kathryn Johnston. So no one should be surprises that masses vocally support corruption, incompetence and croynism. The only hope for APS is that the state will do the right thing by the children of Atlanta!
Support or denial?
August 17th, 2010
4:15 pm
Denial is a not uncommon psychological response to this situation. Remember how many people rallied around Jim Bakker when the Jessica Hahn story broke?
ITP Mom
August 17th, 2010
4:41 pm
@No Fun – That’s a pretty broad brush you are painting with.
I live in Atlanta, have children in an APS school (with 0% in the cheating investigation), didn’t go to school in an APS school, didn’t vote for Mayor Campbell either time, and didn’t support the reign of Chief Pennington (Are you kidding? My husband is a cop.). I also periodically email my APS Board Representative to share regarding my (negative) impressions of Dr. Hall and Butler-Burkes, and also to share other opinions on APS.
Further, I do know people who were educated in APS schools and I would not consider them to be lacking in intellect or good judgement.
Your comments lack any basis in fact and are inflammatory and contribute nothing constructive to the discussion.
chillywilly
August 17th, 2010
4:50 pm
@No Fun,
For a moment, I thought you were talking about George W. Bush.
However, I do think that Beverly Hall should resign immediately and take those non performing, overpaid folks from Legal, Instruction, Technology, & Finance with you.
Who are the Furious Five?
August 17th, 2010
5:04 pm
You might say the biggest difference between the Furious Five and Beverly Hall is that Beverly Hall has exhibited self righteous indignation along every step of the way, and the Furious Five might finally be exhibiting the righteous anger needed to effect positive change.
bootney farnsworth
August 17th, 2010
5:22 pm
if Beverly Hall sacrificed a kid to Satan on live TV would that be enough for the AJC to get out of bed with her?
probably not
No Fun
August 17th, 2010
5:42 pm
ITP: I certainly don’ t mean to offend you but I stand by my comments. The masses in ATL have repeated supported incompetence and corruption. If you don’t fit the bill, great but there is a great deal of evidence that ATL’s electorate is basing it’s decisions on something other than competence and character.
hey now
August 17th, 2010
6:05 pm
Enter Sam Williams…uh oh
WSB has weighed in on the farce
Hall, Burks and Williams need to resign
Sharon McEachern
August 17th, 2010
6:32 pm
And check out our colleges and universities. Everyone — both students and professors — are cheating. Ethic Soup has a good post on this:
http://www.ethicsoup.com/2008/11/everyone-is-cheating-college-students-and-their-professors.html
chillywilly
August 17th, 2010
6:34 pm
@hey now,
I saw that WSB report regarding Sam Williams, Burks, & Hall. Nowwwwwwwwwww we have us a smoking gun.
Can you post the link to that email? Thanks.
Ed Johnson
August 17th, 2010
7:16 pm
From: Sam A. Williams [mailto:swilliams@macoc.com]
Sent: Friday, February 26, 2010 5:08 PM
Subject: APS CRCT Update
I wanted to provide you with an update on the Atlanta Public Schools “CRCT” testing and potential cheating issue which was discussed at length at our executive committee meeting last week. As an outcome of that meeting, and given the sense of urgency felt by the business community and others, the Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Atlanta Education Fund (AEF) have led several discussions over the last several days with business leaders, Beverly Hall and APS Board Chair LaChandra Butler Burks. Following are the immediate next steps:
• On Monday, March 1, the APS Board will introduce a resolution that requests the AEF to commission an independent investigation and create a Blue Ribbon Task Force to help guide the work of the investigation.
• The Blue Ribbon Task Force will be chaired by Gary Price, market managing partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers, and supported and staffed jointly by the AEF and the Chamber. The task force is scheduled to hold its first meeting on Wednesday, March 3. Other task force members tentatively include John Rice, LaChandra Butler Burks, Dennis Lockhart, Penny McPhee, Milton Jones, Thelma Malone, Curley Dossman, Helene Lollis, Jack Capers, Beverly Tatum and Ingrid Saunders Jones.
• A firm will be selected on March 3 to perform the investigation and make recommendations regarding implementation of best in class test monitoring methods, with the goal of ensuring that the upcoming April tests results are unassailable.
We will let the facts from this investigation guide us in our support of Dr. Hall and the next steps the Atlanta Public Schools system needs to take. Thank you for your leadership and support and we will keep you apprised of this situation.
Sam
Sam A. Williams
President
Metro Atlanta Chamber
235 Andrew Young International Blvd.,NW • Atlanta, GA 30303
404.586.8434. FAX 404.586.8469
swilliams@macoc.com • http://www.MetroAtiantaChamber.com
Subscribe to the MAC Monthly Newsletter
Bringing the best together to help Atlanta thrive.
Dee Dee
August 17th, 2010
7:37 pm
I am in agreement with the comment that Hall, Burks, and Williams need to resign. Also, I find it interesting that the current and former mayor have stepped up to the plate and entered the fray. Is it because their puppet handlers (Chamber of Commerce) have demanded that they do so? Meanwhile, who really cares about the students?
Dee Dee
August 17th, 2010
7:41 pm
“Who are the Furious Five”? Probably the only members on the school who care about students. The others are in the pockets of the Chamber and Beverly Hall. Sadly, the “Furious Five” should get some good lawyers because the Chamber, Mayor, and media will thoroughly feed them to the wolves for daring to step out of line.
Concerned 1
August 17th, 2010
7:47 pm
The parents you talked to were at the schools where principals were ousted. These parents want confidence restored to their schools. There is only one honorable thing to do. Every one is replaceable.
APS school board: Playing politics while the system reels from CRCT mess – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | Legal Advice Links
August 17th, 2010
7:50 pm
[...] APS school board: Playing politics while the system reels from CRCT messAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog)You only have to look at our half-baked sex offender laws that never held up in court to wonder what kind of legal advice the Legislature is getting. …School board coup delayed after Kasim sweeps inCreative Loafing Atlanta [...]
Somebody steal a catchphrase
August 17th, 2010
8:08 pm
Can’t some enterprising entrepreneur come up with a “I Support The Furious Five” T-Shirt?
APS Parent SMH
August 17th, 2010
8:48 pm
Well I was there yesterday (and last night). I know what I heard and I know what I saw. @Maureen that audience was SO anti-Hall. Maybe your corner of the room was otherwise, but again, I know what I heard and I know what I saw. On more than one occasion parents cheered and applauded when the threats of voting out the board in the next election was mentioned from the floor during the community meeting. All around me educators, employees and parents whispered and made side comments in agreement with the Furious Five. I was actually quite surprised. Since we’ve lived here and been in APS, I’ve found employees to be extremely sheepish. Afraid of speaking out for fear of some kind of “retaliation.” Afraid to mis-step or they may never make it out of the classroom and into administrative positions. But last night was different. People were on fire! And the overwhelming feeling in the room was one of wanting to do the right thing for CHILDREN, at any cost.
@maureen? maureen? I noticed that you suggested several times that a vote should have been taken. Well it was. A vote was taken, against the advice of the APS counsel (go figure) and the result was 5 to 4 in favor of changing the charter. Now I know that @Maureen doesn’t want to believe that the state legislature could be correct on this point, but last night it was clear to me as a parent that I had to choose to side with the state representative and his findings OR the legal counsel retained by APS. Excuse me as I step over to the side of the legislature and their lawyers. There wasn’t any wiggle room last night when the vote was taken.
Then, after I left, I guess Reed appeared. Hmmm, how can they table a “vote” that has already taken place? Seriously, @Maureen please explain this one to me. My p-procedures are not what they used to be LOL.
I know that last night felt like the “wrong time” to have this discussion of policy and charter changes, but if not now, when? In this horrible climate is there ever going to be a good time for the board to have this discussion?
Finally, and I’m sorry if this post is all over the place but my two little ones are bouncing off the ceiling (bedtime), I was SO PROUD to see all of the parents that turned out last night to demand answers as to why their principals were removed from their schools without any kind of parent notification before, during or after the removal. They really stood up for themselves. The looks on the faces of the board members as parents threatened to take away THEIR jobs was priceless.
Do I believe cheating took place? Absolutely. Do I believe that the 12 are the only schools that should be on the “hit list?” Absolutely not…all you have to do is read @springdale park mom’s posts over the past weeks to know that. At the end of the day the board and APS need to realize that WE PARENTS are the owners of this team. Last night I saw a beautiful thing, I saw parents who have finally discovered that they have power.
You would never know by this that I write for a living! Goodnight!
Maureen Downey
August 17th, 2010
9:02 pm
@APS Parent, I think you are responding to both me and the poster who uses my name. To address your address of his point; I think he is suggesting that the five should force a vote on the major issue at hand: Dr. Hall’s tenure, not on the procedure issues of whether a simple or two-third majority can replace the board chair. I am still not sure why that has to be done now, as there seems to be more pressing issues. I am still unsure why the rule change matters so much right now.
Maureen
APS Parent SMH
August 17th, 2010
9:19 pm
@Maureen – yes, I was trying to address you both. Sorry for the confusion. Forcing a vote for her tenure is the wrong thing to do at this time. I have to agree with you on that point. She’s out next summer anyway…what good would that do now? By the way, THANK YOU for all the work you’ve done on this issue to date. I have become such a fan that I was sitting in the audience last night thinking “I wonder which of these folks is Maureen?” Keep doing what you’re doing. I don’t always agree with you, but I appreciate your tenacity when it comes to reporting on education and your fortitude when it comes to standing by your opinion.
Procedural Question
August 17th, 2010
9:48 pm
About last night’s executive session: Can a motion be introduced by someone other than the board chair, and seconded by someone other than the board chair, to remove Dr. Hall?
In other words, does the board chair have the power to stop that type of motion dead in its tracks, and that’s the reason the emphasis was put on the charter to be changed last night?
It doesn’t seem likely the board chair has that kind of power, but if she doesn’t what was the motivation for last night’s actions?
Another Mom
August 17th, 2010
10:04 pm
Maureen – Who specifically are the “furious five?” Can you name them?
Maureen Downey
August 17th, 2010
10:12 pm
ANother Mom, Yolanda Johnson, Brenda Muhammad, Nancy Meister, Khaatim Sherrer El, Courtney English
yjohnson@atlantapublicschools.us;
bmuhammad@atlantapublicschools.us;
nmeister@atlanta.k12.ga.us;
khaatimsel@atlantapublicschools.us;
cenglish@atlanta.k12.ga.us
Praise be
August 17th, 2010
10:25 pm
All hail the Furious Five!
Suburbia
August 17th, 2010
10:31 pm
And somewhere in Alpharetta, a man trembles in mortal fear, hoping against hope no one mentions his name.
Queen
August 17th, 2010
10:54 pm
Maureen, thank you for your pesistence in fighting for our children.
Dr. John Trotter
August 18th, 2010
1:36 am
Maureen: I have been busy today preparing a new MACE brochure and just now looked at this blog. Looks like the Beverly Hall Administration is imploding. I tend to agree with Bootney’s observation that the AJC seems to refuse to get out of bed with Hall. But, I do like the reporting. Sooner or later, Hall will leave totally disgraced. Well, you can chalk another one up to MACE. We have been calling the Atlanta Board of Education the “Chamber Board” for years in our literature, picketing, etc. Now are you beginning to believe what we have been saying for years, viz., that the Atlanta School System under the so-called leadership is corrupt to the core. Yes, our refrain again is that “Beverly Hall Must Go!”
Ralph Long
August 18th, 2010
7:26 am
Dr. Hall and The Impressions, “You’ve Been Cheatin’”
Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uajchd0FEA
Ralph Long
Producer
Biscuits N Gravy Productions
(770) 616-2130
another APS teacher
August 18th, 2010
7:53 am
@Maureen: People are happy when their kids get good grades. Here in APS we got rid of the “D” back in 2007. we give connections classes and Core classes the same weights. We do not retain students. Teachers are mandated to give more weight to CLASSWORK than to TESTS. All of this so students will FEEL successful rather than BE successful.
Am I the only one who knows that this is not the way to make a system better? It is not the way to insure a well educated population? I was actually told once that instead of having my class read an entire novel (I was a reading teacher that year), I should have each group of students read a portion and then they could tell each other about it. On a completely separate occasion I was told that a child can learn to do fractions without knowing how to multiply and divide. Both of these discussions were with APS administrators.
A better education? Better than what?
Really amazed
August 18th, 2010
9:40 am
@anotherAPSteacher, why is it that parents of these children act like they are totally unaware as to what is taking place at their children’s school when it come to the inflated grading going on?????? I guess your right in the fact that they only want to see good grades, not hard core truth about just what little Susie/Johnny truly knows. I have seen and heard time and time again that D’s and F’s are a thing of the past. A c is the new F and even then you rarely see that even on a report card, go in complain and wham!!! Susie/Johnny has a B or even an A. Please do not even bother responding that not your school parent. Teachers, please don’t say not my classroom, you know you have to listen to admin even if you don’t want to change the grade. These high schools have so many chances for test re-do’s that if by your second chance or third you can’t make at least a c it will be given for effort anyway. This isn’t learning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is only going to prevent Susie/Johnny from getting all the way through college.
Seeking Enlightment
August 18th, 2010
11:21 am
I am new to Atlanta and recently enrolled my children in the public school system. I performed some basic research prior to enrolling them and I made my decision based upon facts. Some of those facts are listed on the APS website. Like in 2009, the superintendent was named the National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators, the country’s top professional honor for a K-12 education leader. In addition, she won recognition as the 2009 State Superintendent of the Year by the Georgia School Superintendents Association. This was just last year, so I was under the impression that the school system was being governed by a very capable leader. I also assumed that her success could only be possible with a very supportive board. The APS Board structure was a welcomed change for me since I am originally from Cleveland, Ohio where the Board of Education is made up of nine voting members appointed by the Mayor of Cleveland from a slate of nominees selected by a local nominating panel, established under State law. So now that I have become aware of the internal SPATS, I have a few questions that I need clarification on. 1. Did the Board Chair participate in some sort of cover up involving the CRCT test cheating? 2. Specifically, why is she being removed? 3. Did the Superintendent participate in some sort of cover up involving the CRCT test cheating? 4. Specifically, why is she being removed? 3. If the Board Chair and Superintendent are removed, will the Furious Five return the principals of their schools? Just a new resident seeking clarity from a panel of folks who seem to be in the “know”. Thanks.
why SWATL?
August 18th, 2010
11:23 am
My greatest concern is WHY were the 12 schools under investigation all in West Atlanta, with 9 of the 12 in South West Atlanta? I’ve lived here for 11 years and it’s shocking the treatment we get as the “bad” part of town. The city will not do code enforcement, we have little public safety, our neighborhoods are filled with illegal dumping and our children are left to run the streets and get into trouble. Does anyone NOT see the connection between the lack of education and this issue? And why are we second-class citizens because we live in a particular part of town? It’s simply not fair! We deserve as much quality as any other more affluent area of Atlanta.
Enlightenment
August 18th, 2010
11:32 am
The board chair, Lachandra Butler-Burks, said it was “impossible” for Dr. Hall to know of any cheating. Burks was a blue ribbon committee member. How do you presumably “investigate” anyone when you have already concluded that it was “impossible” for them to have done anything wrong.
Kathy Augustine, #2 under Hall in APS, said when the cheating came out, “There’s no reason to look at the scores. We expect outliers every year”
Scores that had a one in one billion chance of happening, and Augustine says there’s no reason to investigate. How transparent does that sound to you?
The reason people are calling for her removal is simple. Either you knew, and should be fired for being dishonest, or you didn’t know, and you should be fired for being incompetent.
And we haven’t even talked about the multi-million dollar E-Rate scandal.
The answer is
August 18th, 2010
11:34 am
“My greatest concern is WHY were the 12 schools under investigation all in West Atlanta, with 9 of the 12 in South West Atlanta?”
Because that’s where the erasure marks were. The computer analysis looked at erasures, not geography. Because computers have no emotions, they have no emotional agenda.
Seeking Enlightment
August 18th, 2010
12:01 pm
Enlightment, thanks for the response. I must say, I am still unclear. Are you saying that Dr. Hall either actually participated in the erasures or she attempted to cover it up? How would the Superintendent know about the cheating at 12 different schools? Did she send some sort of message to the principals, mafia style? Is Chairwoman Burks serving as the sacrificial lamb in this instant? I still don’t understand her connection to the scandal, merely by participating in the commission? Who appointed her to the commission? I sort of think we may be dealing with an emotional board. Unfortunately, the emotions are focused on what is best for the children. De Ja Vu, Cleveland all over again. I wish the APS Board would read up on what happened there.
Seeking Enlightment
August 18th, 2010
12:03 pm
Corrections to previous post….sometimes I type too fast! Enlightment, thanks for the response. I must say, I am still unclear. Are you saying that Dr. Hall either actually participated in the erasures or she attempted to cover it up? How would the Superintendent know about the cheating at 12 different schools? Did she send some sort of message to the principals, mafia style? Is Chairwoman Burks serving as the sacrificial lamb in this instance? I still don’t understand her connection to the scandal, merely by participating in the commission? Who appointed her to the commission? I sort of think we may be dealing with an emotional board. Unfortunately, the emotions are NOT focused on what is best for the children. De Ja Vu, Cleveland all over again. I wish the APS Board would read up on what happened there.
Enlightenment
August 18th, 2010
12:13 pm
“Are you saying that Dr. Hall either actually participated in the erasures or she attempted to cover it up?”
Dr. Hall hired a consultant Penn Payne, who determined there was “no evidence” of cheating. APS featured her report on the APS website. When people on blogs started pointing out that A) Penn Payne has no actually experience in the subject of test erasure analysis and B) Penn Payne had no access to the test and C) Penn Payne has an ongoing business relationship with APS the school system suddenly took the report down from its website a few short hours later.
Coverup? Draw your own conclusions?
Seeking Enlightment
August 18th, 2010
12:26 pm
Enlightment – Thanks,I have truly been enlightened! WOW,I’m not sure that information has been shared with the public. That definitely explains the board members position on Dr. Hall. What about the Board Chair? Sacrificial lamb until Dr. Hall can be terminated? Buffer? Thanks for helping me see the facts clearly, as an outsider.
why SWATL?
August 18th, 2010
5:47 pm
@ The Answer Is: Yes, that’s exactly my point! The erasures were mostly in SWATL. So, that tells me that the teachers in SWATL are more inclined to cheat than the teachers in the rest of Atlanta. BUT WHY are the cheaters in SWATL? Could it be that the system placed them in those schools because APS has written off south west Atlanta, just like the city has done? And why are we written off? Because we’re low income? That’s ridiculous and smacks of discrimination. The children of SWATL deserve a good education too, in fact are more in need of it since they don’t have connections to get them to the top of the ladder (as students from higher incomes usually have).
Attentive Parent
August 18th, 2010
8:46 pm
Why SWATL?
Have you ever heard of Project Follow Through? It was the largest education experiment ever conducted in the US. The experiment lasted from 1967 to 1976 and involved evaluating more than 20 different approaches to teaching poor K-3 students.
If you look at the instructional approaches APS mandates, they reflect the approaches that FT showed poor results with.
APS refuses to implement what FT showed worked best. Perhaps because effective instructional practices just do not grow the payroll as well. They also make for more independent citizens.
If you push approaches that make it hard to learn to read or do math and there is no one at home who can supplement on the side or hire a tutor, the bad effects of lousy instruction come through. Once the foundation of literacy and numeracy is weak, the tragedy rolls along.
It’s not about wealth or skin color. Explaining concepts with examples and plenty of practice and then moving to applications works for any ethnicity and schools of great poverty.
It’s not your physical location within APS that’s the problem.