Dr. Hall: I knew nothing about cheating in Atlanta schools.
Beverly Hall says she was unaware of cheating in her schools. (AJC photo)
In a statement through her attorney today, a vacationing Beverly Hall — reportedly in Hawaii — says she was unaware of widespread cheating in the school system that she oversaw for 12 years.
“Apparently, not one of the 82 persons who allegedly ‘confessed’ to cheating told the investigators that Dr. Hall at any time instructed, encouraged or condoned cheating,” said attorney Richard Deane in a statement. “The report’s conclusion that Dr. Hall actually knew of any such cheating is based entirely on supposition. The further conclusion that Dr. Hall ’should have known’ rests on negative inferences from selective, circumstantial evidence.”
No, it doesn’t. There is real evidence in the report that Hall and her staff ignored or discredited bona fide complaints of cheating, especially when the allegations were about high-scoring schools that were winning accolades. The report shows a willful effort within APS to maintain the pretense that Hall was a miracle-worker.
But Hall had other evidence that suggested something was amiss – tangible evidence that the high scoring students at Parks Middle, for example, did poorly on state math exams in high school. In the report, the cheating at Parks sounds like something out a CIA covert action manual with clandestine missions to steal tests and trumped excuses to lure the honest testing coordinator out of the building.
After a visit to Parks with the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, I looked at the End of Course Test math scores for the high school in the feeder. Scores were awful. APS could have looked at whether similarly high performing middle school students from other schools saw their scores tumble so markedly in high school.
Two years ago, I asked Dr. Hall about whether there was any effort to reconcile astounding middle school performance on the CRCT with high school performance, She said that the students could not be followed to high school because they didn’t necessarily move as a group to the same school. But a system that was “data driven,” as Dr. Hall often described APS, should have looked more deeply at waves of students who soared to unprecedented heights in middle school only to crash in high school.
Hall wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to look too closely at fantastic results. Many top education foundations, including the Annie E. Casey, Gates and Broad foundations, celebrated the data coming out of APS.
I talked today to Steve Dolinger, former Fulton superintendent and head of the Georgia Partnership, about whether groups, including his own, which featured Parks on its bus tour of great schools, failed to do their due diligence.
“We relied on data that was published on the DOE website,” he said. “When we look at the data, we don’t think there is wrongdoing. We have no supposition that cheating is going on.”
But there will be far more scrutiny now of meteoric rises in school performance, he said. “This whole situation is going to cast doubt on success, especially rapid success. When success happens quickly, you are going to have to ask questions about what was going on.”
I think there is plenty of blame to go around, including the media, but I have to wonder about the role of the state Department of Education. The agency mandates and administers all these tests. Should the agency make any effort to validate scores? If not, how can it eventually use the scores to reward or punish teachers?
In a joint 2003 investigation, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution/WSB Channel 2 Action News found that Gwinnett underreported its student discipline data to the state Department of Education by at least 85 percent. When the AJC questioned the incomplete and inaccurate discipline reports, DOE said that it only collected the data; it not review and verify it. I am not sure why the state collects data and then says it can’t vouch for it.
In 2004, the AJC did another major APS investigation, this one on the system’s blatant waste of technology dollars. The AJC series documented that Atlanta Public Schools misspent or mismanaged nearly $73 million from a national program intended to give poor children access to the Internet. At the time, Hall defended her lack of attention to technology, saying she was spending all her time focusing on classroom academics.
Apparently, she didn’t focus enough.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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155 comments Add your comment
Dr. John Trotter
July 6th, 2011
8:39 pm
If Beverly Hall did not know about the cheating (cough, cough), then she was THE DUMBEST SUPERINTENDENT IN AMERICA. Data-driven (cough, cough)? If she did not know, then she wouldn’t know the difference between data and dog crap. Need I repeat the mantra that I have been publicly saying for YEARS AND YEARS? Beverly Hall was the worst superintendent who has ever shown his or her face in the Atlanta Public Schools.
Uh, one more question…Where oh where is SACS’s Mark Elgart? Mr. Elgart, do you reckon that the mess that the Beverly Hall Administration created and perpetuated in the Atlanta Public Schools has failed in any way to live up to SACS’ fake and hypocritical “standards”? Ha! What jokes…Mark Elgart and his phony SACS organization! Mark Elgart, we are waiting on your response! SACS is a tool of the business establishment, pure and simple.
Now, who have I been saying very PUBLICLY for the last few years are the three biggest educational hypocrites in Georgia? That’s right…Crawford Lewis, Beverly Hall, and Mark Elgart. Two down and one to go. Go to these sources and verify for yourself what we have been saying for years… >>>
http://www.theteachersadvocate.com
http://www.georgiateachersspeakout.com
Centrist
July 6th, 2011
8:44 pm
Hogan’s Hero’s Sargent Schultz had his “I see nutting” schtick improved by Bart Simpson (and now B. Hall):
“I didn’t do it.
You didn’t see me.
You can’t prove a thing.”
She’ll keep her unearned salary, award money, bonuses, and pension. She lost her credibility even with her most staunch apologists.
Wondering Allowed
July 6th, 2011
8:55 pm
Pity the district that now has Kathy Augustine at its helm. Imagine being under contract for a woman whose previous job performance has just been exposed as grossly incompetent, who is likely about to face criminal charges 1000 miles away and who now will be unable to gain any respect from the teachers, students or parents in her community. The woman who taught her everything she knows about leading a school district is now saying that she had no idea what was actually happening in her district, as if that’s an excuse.
Hopefully there is a clause in Kathy’s contract that lets them can her quickly, before she can harm that district.
Wondering Allowed
July 6th, 2011
8:57 pm
Is it just me, or are all the Sgt. Shultz references making anyone else realize how similar Hall looks to Shultz? Seriously, she looks like Shultz in drag. I’m not saying this to be ugly. It’s uncanny how much they look alike.
teacher&mom
July 6th, 2011
8:57 pm
Here’s a comment I posted on the WaPo after someone asked if “the school board, Gates foundation supporters ever went into these “miracle” schools to see the kids at work… are they, blind or in denial? or is there something else going on — do they know it’s not working, and that somehow fits in with whatever their desired outcome is”
my response:
Both….when you dig into the the “education reform revolution” that supposedly took place in Atlanta, you’ll see fingerprints from all the players…..Gates, Broad, Walton, TFA, Rhee, Klein, Duncan, and the list goes on. They all loved what was taking place in APS and in their eagerness to prove they had the “answer” for urban schools, refused to consider anything less than total success.
APS is the poster child for the current reform trends.
Read through Dr. Hall’s presentation below to get a sense of the “reforms” that were implemented in APS.
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls... (select the pdf file titled “Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall Atlanta Public Schools …” )
For those of us in GA, I would also add Kathy Cox to the list.
All the players had convinced themselves they were RIGHT, the naysayers & critics were just keepers of the status quo. The data proved their point! NCLB was working and APS was proof positive.
Let’s hope this dark moment in education will go down in the history books as a defining moment. The moment the tide turned and the general public woke up from the NCLB fantasy.
Awaiting moderation
July 6th, 2011
9:02 pm
@School Leader
I agree someone needs to let the interim supt know that Bev Hall’s thugs are still at CLL
Bev, when you get done with your surfing in Hawaii, come back and get your thugs:
SAHRON PITTS
MILLICENT FEW
SUSAN DYER—what is she anyway????????
Just A Teacher
July 6th, 2011
9:03 pm
This is a typical response given by criminals. It’s the same one tried by Richard Nixon when the Watergate scandal became public. In other words, she thinks she hid her tracks well enough that she won’t get caught. Beverly Hall and her cronies are criminals! They need to be prosecuted for stealing from the public. She is as big a disgrace to education as Nixon was to the Oval Office. No teacher in his or her right mind gives a damn about standardized test scores because we know it’s a fraud perpetrated by the likes of Hall, Rhee, and Bill Gates. American education is reaping the rewards of this idiotic craze. If you want to know if your kids are learning in school, don’t rely on these jerks; ask the kids to read, write, or do some basic math. If Johnny can’t read at home, he can’t read at school either.
ScienceTeacher671
July 6th, 2011
9:03 pm
teacher&mom, BRAVO! I think you’ve nailed it.
Dr. Beverly Hall's Conscience
July 6th, 2011
9:10 pm
The unverified reliance on “extraordinary” data by the Gates, Walton, Broad, Casey foundations comes from 2 sources:
a) The guilty conscience of rich people faced with the reality of urban plight and the blight prospect of inner city kids.
b) The desire of the administrators of these foundations to show results in order to justify their sweet salaries from these foundations.
With these two factors to work with, I can play them like a fiddle. Don’t limit your scrutiny to APS, look in Philadelphia or wherever there is a successful inner school system! I was not the only one!
Former SPARK parent
July 6th, 2011
9:11 pm
Maureen, you’re late to the party, but a welcome addition.
Bev Hall has a good lawyer. In the GBI report, he performs more gymnastics than a 13-year-old Romanian trying to show why Bev Hall, using her private Gmail account to conduct official district business and deleting documents sent to her at her request but actually COMMISSIONED by other entities was NOT actually violating the Open Records Act.
Complete BS, but well-crafted!
I think it’s going to be hard to put Hall in the proverbial orange jumpsuit, and not just because of her girth.
What’s important is that WE are no longer in denial, as a community, about the damage done under the either disastrously incompetent or thoroughly corrupt (take your pick, does it even matter?) reign of Beverly Hall. You’ve come into the tent now. Kasim Reed is here–hey, Mr. Mayor! How ya doing? Tell me–is this the governing or is this the campaigning? With you, it’s so hard to tell….
There will be a few stragglers–we may have to sedate Shirley Franklin–but everybody pretty much gets it now. The woman was intoxicated by her own press clippings and ultimately her addiction turned her into a child predator. May she be forced to endure 12 years of litigation and spend every last dollar she earned here on fast-talking shysters like the one billing her by the hour right now.
Awaiting moderation
July 6th, 2011
9:12 pm
The Emperor Has No Clothes…aka…The Cupcake Has No Icing (APS version)
Evelynn
July 6th, 2011
9:12 pm
I want my money back! Bonus money and tax dollars. There will be no more bond referendum approvals for me until I see bonafide evidence of improvement. And why didn’t the Board of Education members catch this?
Laurie
July 6th, 2011
9:13 pm
willful blindness. Deliberate avoidance of knowledge of a crime, esp. by failing to make a reasonable inquiry about suspected wrongdoing despite being aware that it is highly probable. • A person acts with willful blindness, for example, by deliberately refusing to look inside an unmarked package after being paid by a known drug dealer to deliver it. Willful blindness creates an inference of knowledge of the crime in question. See Model Penal Code § 2. [Cases: Criminal Law 20, 314. C.J.S. Criminal Law §§ 31-33, 35-39, 700; Negligence § 913.]
BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY 1630 (8th ed. 2004)
dekalbite
July 6th, 2011
9:13 pm
How amazing that Beverly Hall is vacationing in Hawaii while all of this is going on. Would anyone believe that she was so stupid that she knew nothing about the cheating that went on in APS? I’ll just bet that Hall and her minions are not sorry they cheated. They’re just sorry they got caught.
Crawford Lewis and his mistress who still occupies a high level position setting educational policy in DeKalb went to expensive resorts and used the county P-card to do this according to the DeKalb DA, and both of them are probably just sorry they got caught.
Dr. Beverly Hall's Conscience
July 6th, 2011
9:16 pm
“In June 2009, Dr. Hall was elected for a one-year
term as secretary-treasurer of the Council of
the Great City Schools, a coalition of 67 of the
nation’s largest urban public school systems. ”
Darn, guys look at your pockets! Who is the president?
Old School
July 6th, 2011
9:17 pm
All of these cheating administrators should suffer some finanical consequences. Is there any legal way to take back award money and/or go after pensions?
jeffrey blake
July 6th, 2011
9:19 pm
Transforming the Atlanta public schools is “analogous to climbing a mountain, but it sure helps a lot when you cheat the system.” said Hall. She went on, “There’s no greater feeling of reward than seeing the smiling face of a student who can’t believe he/she actually made good grades. I like to think of it as providing a sense of accomplishment to the unaccomplished. It’s kind of like ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ in that, if they feel good about getting good grades even though they put no effort…ok, screw it. I GOT MINES Y’ALL!”
Dr. Beverly Hall's Conscience
July 6th, 2011
9:20 pm
Nancy Grace? I can’t talk to you right now. Call back later when we are reconciled or gotten my soul back from the gutter where I dropped it.
APS Employee
July 6th, 2011
9:24 pm
So did Dr. Sharon Pitts inherit Dr. Hall’s driver??? Do you think Pitts will give the new interim a ride? They sure gave Atlanta a ride for 12 years.
Seriously is 3k salary driver still with APS?
36 years in education
July 6th, 2011
9:42 pm
That’s what she said…….
36 years in education
July 6th, 2011
9:43 pm
(cough, cough)
OnlyInATL
July 6th, 2011
9:52 pm
If Dr. Hall believes students can improve from performing at 24% in math to 84+% the next year…tell her to prepare to work on a farm in Coolidge with state probationers and parolees.
APS retiree yippie!
July 6th, 2011
9:57 pm
They tried to teach the kids and could not. Maybe, just maybe, some kids just don’t want to learn? Let’s get back to really pushing those that want to learn, the others,well, we tried.
Wanna know what the teachers used to call parent/teacher night at some of the schools on the list? “Pizza night” cause often not ONE parent bothered to show up.
Expected
July 6th, 2011
10:07 pm
For anyone who has worked in APS, this comes as no surprise. In fact, if this investigation extended to the high school level, the serious magnitude of this will be felt. The district has been compared to a well oiled piece of machinery. If you do anything to interrupt the rotation of it’s wheels, you will be eliminated. The machine can not be stopped. Even the students have been sacrificed to keep it moving in the direction of greed.
Dr. John Trotter
July 6th, 2011
10:12 pm
Next election >>>>>>>>>>>> “Kasim Reed for Mayor…He Defended Beverly Hall!”
Kasim, ole buddy, you danced too long with Beverly Hall. You’ve got do do all over your tuxedo. It’s gonna be hard to get it out. Go on over to that Piedmont Driving Club and see if some of the distinguished ladies from The Prado or Andrews Drive can help you get that do do off your tuxedo, OK? After all, wasn’t it their husbands who filled out your dance card for you? Kasim, you should have watched out for that Piedmont Driving Club mindset. Those folk will have you jumping like a Bell Hop.
Mike
July 6th, 2011
10:17 pm
Hmm Maureen, what was it Dr Barge said when asked about the practice of transferring students a day or 2 before graduationto an alternative school to improve graduation rates in Hall County?
Something like ‘we know and we aren’t worried about it’.
There’s your answer as to why people like Bev Hall and her cronies do these type of things to teachers and kids. It is passively allowed to happen until it is too late.
http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/the-transfer-track-on-945991.html
http://www.ajc.com/news/hall-county-students-pushed-960650.html
http://www.wsbtv.com/video/27890457/index.html
Hindsight 20/20
July 6th, 2011
10:22 pm
Clayton County’s 2007/8 Delegation, Chamber & Delegation should be ashame they allowed SACS & the Gov to take their accreditation. Meanwhile, ” NOTHING” will happen to ATL, Dekalb BOE. Elgart’s SACS has in fact “DESTROYED” Clayton County for nothing and left the county “BROKE”! Pastors and Ministers should be “ASHAMED”
Truth to Power, tell it, preach it!
July 6th, 2011
10:27 pm
Beverly Hall isn’t the biggest liar in this mess.
All those black city officials, especially Kasim Reed, who stand in front of the cameras and say how shocked and dismayed they are at the findings are the biggest liars.
Total B.S.!
They know how dysfunctional and corrupt Atlanta’s black rule is. How do you think they are all getting rich?
What they are meaning to say is “Wow, that’s all you found? Chumps.”
They are shocked that the report didn’t find more, especially financial corruption.
Blacks always play the “aw shucks” game when other blacks are caught acting typical.
None of this surprises Atlanta’s White taxpayers (excepting those self-hating types with Obama stickers on their cars), who are only surprised that our White governor had the courage to appoint White investigators who did a good job.
This is a race scandal, and the fact that the Whites outed such massive black corruption and chaos without saying that that we Whiteys are really somehow to blame for black failure and crime is the real story.
Are Whites fed up enough to quit taking the blame? Now that’s a sea change. Obama really did transform us…
Hindsight 20/20EYE
July 6th, 2011
10:27 pm
Clayton County’s 2007/8 Delegation, Chamber & Commission should be ashame they allowed SACS & the Gov to take their accreditation. Meanwhile, ” NOTHING” will happen to ATL, Dekalb BOE. Elgart’s SACS has in fact “DESTROYED” Clayton County for nothing and left the county “BROKE”! Pastors and Ministers should be “ASHAMED
brad
July 6th, 2011
10:44 pm
I deal with many atlanta school products in the criminal justice system and I have known for years that the figures had to be false. I see teenagers every day that can barely communicate verbally and could never write a proper paragraph let alone a paper. Think of all the cheating that was not uncovered. Do you think a 100% of it was found? No way. The real figures would make people scream.
Joyce
July 6th, 2011
10:50 pm
Bev….Cupcake…You are playing dumb so you can keep your 12 years of teacher retirement from Georgia TRS.. And, you said you worked 12 years in APS, well it tells me you will be getting 24% of your Gross pay.($400,000+) I would like to trade with you. I taught 31 years on the high school level and well never earn what you will earn in retirement. And, I never once taught my students to cheat or cheated for them.
Yes, Bev. retirement can be taken away if the right honest people take her to task. But, hey! Where are the honest lawmakers, Professional Standards Commission, Educational Ethics Committee members, District Attorney, etc. I could go on and on.
And, Cupcake, do not say you did not know. Any superintendent would have known by looking at the drastic increase in scores. You see a student’s scores do not increase but by a small percentage if at all they increase.Sometimes they do down.
Oh yes cupcake, what color do you want your jump-suit to be-orange, beige, or the black and white stripe. If Cupcake goes unpunished, everyone should go unpunished. She is the captain of the ship and she is responsible. And, the ship has sunk. And, she has taken alot of people with her. That’s right Major (Atlanta). Your remember the 2003 Bill you sponsored which gave her the leaway to do whatever. What about the teachers and administrators who were released or lost their jobs from APS for not doing the wrong thing. They should be commended for standing up against her.
BUT REMEMBER THIS IS ONLY THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG FOR GEORGIA. THERE ARE OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS WHO PROBABLY HAVE DONE THE SAME THING. BUT THE SYSTEMS ARE SO SMALL COMPARED TO APS, THE TEACHERS WILL NOT SQUEAL BECAUSE GAE and PAGE CAN NOT SERVE TO MASTERS SO THEY WILL REPRESENT THE ADMINISTRATORS AGAINST A TEACHER if they both belong to the same organization.( if they are from the same school and system). That is the reason superintendent join GAE or PAGE. Think about this…….why should a superintendent join they have a school board attorney.
I hope and pray justice will be served and all those guilty will be found guilty. I think Cupcake should pay for what she has done. Check other records to see what else she has done…..there maybe other things for incrimination purposes.
Remember legislators this is an election year coming up…do the right thing if you have a chance to do it. Especially the Education Committee.
Incredulous
July 6th, 2011
10:52 pm
@Jerry Eads. Thanks for the insight. I hope they do perform some sort of retrospection. The influence and money that they’ve wielded will hopefully be fine tuned. You are right. We’ve set up a Pavlovian response to pass rates and test scores. Perhaps Dr. Barge can drive legislation that puts into motion some absolute promotional requirements that aren’t discretionary. If you don’t meet this level ( GLE) on these tasks, you don’t promote. Period. It may be wishful thinking, but I think it would definately end the current circus that occurs at the end of the year. An administrator could sit with a parent and teacher and student and say, “No Ma’am, you gave no argument or complaint. We’ve documented your childs performance on these standards based tasks and assessments. Your child did not meet the minimum scores necessary to promote and will therefore, unfortunately be required to repeat the grade. We look forward to your increased participation with your child’s education and offer a variety of tutoring and remedial coursework to help your child succeed. Please understand that it will take effort on both your and your childs’ part. Do you have any questions, ma’am?
It seems that people refuse to look at the underlying and deeply flawed testing system. This is very similar to the “Aryan Nation” arguments that keep surfacing. Very unfortunate.
tax me more
July 6th, 2011
10:54 pm
Are you an Atlanta taxpayer? Look into the future. Do you see a better Atlanta, the same, or worse?
In what do you put your hope that Atlanta’s criminal population will go down over time? We won’t build enough jails- that would be raciss.
Will Detroit, Baltimore, Gary, Camden become attractive alternatives to Atlantacesspool?
My friends have all withdrawn from volunteer activities and they’ve stopped making donations to any charities. They say anything they try to improve will only be destroyed once the blacks get control of it. They are cultural secessionists. Dystopia is the future, so why help it with your money and concern? Are you able to undo all the damage that black rule has done to Atlanta?
Whites will start fleeing Atlanta in droves as soon as we get another tax increase, which will be soon.
Really amazed
July 6th, 2011
10:55 pm
If you think this only happenend at APS keep drinking the kool-aid!!!! Sad that any cheating happened when only 30 questions out of 60 need to be correct to meet standards in the first place. Good enough seems to be the Georgia way!!! How could anyone send their child to these hell holes and think their child is learning anything other than memorization for the crct.
Joyce
July 6th, 2011
10:56 pm
Oh yes, Cupcake enjoy Hawaii. I just realized that was not a dust storm caused from the southeast winds in Arzonia. It was your plane getting you the Hell Out of Georgia. But, some say you are still in Georgia being protected by Howard and Franklin. Well, I don’t know and do not care. Just so you can be here on court day or sentencing day. You are the Top Dog and you knew what your puppies were doing. Or should I say puppets.
CrazyJoBananas
July 6th, 2011
11:01 pm
Dear Bev:
As you are enjoying the beaches and poi, I compel you to ponder these thoughts as you enjoy another sunset over the Pacific: How many children matriculating through APS can spell “Hawaii” or locate it on a map?
P.S. Wish you were here!
CrazyJoBananas
July 6th, 2011
11:13 pm
P.S.S. You’re a liar.
Incredulous
July 6th, 2011
11:17 pm
I meant to say “legitimate” standards based tasks and assessments.
Victor
July 6th, 2011
11:19 pm
There are two important questions that come to mind.What now? What is the process for repairing a totally dysfunctional school district? How do you right the wrong that was done to so many children?I personally believe that you must start by dismissing all of the upper level administrative staff especially anyone who had a role in supervising the principals.
Victor
July 6th, 2011
11:22 pm
As a person who believes in data and statistics, there is no way that she did not know. If anyone believes that she did not know,they are just as guilty and are a part of the cove up.
Happily Gone
July 6th, 2011
11:37 pm
One more reason I am SO happy to have left disgusting, corrupt Atlanta. I’ve never lived anywhere so effed up in every single possible way. I pity those left there. It’s not a shock the city and the DOE is a shambles, look at who lives there and who runs it?
David Sims
July 6th, 2011
11:41 pm
Beverly Hall is beginning to sound like the Emperor in Star Wars, with all these Darth Vaders running around doing her evil bidding in each school. Darth Brown. Darth Salters. Darth Waller. Darth Davis. Darth Smith. Darth Barlow-Brown. And so on. The Dark Side of the Force.
funny
July 7th, 2011
12:06 am
wow, she really FLED. I mean really; think about it. The report is coming out and BAM, cloud of dust, GONE….
Looks like there might need to be some legal action necessary to bring her back to GA.
DA’s around the district and at the state level should be reviewing all documents and interviewing employees that were fired throughtout the years by Hall and her cronies.
BEV….. think you might have stepped into this on LOL
William Casey
July 7th, 2011
12:16 am
All this cheating stuff is getting me all riled up and reliving events of 15 years ago at Chattahoochee HS in North Fulton. Do not for one second believe that the Atlanta Public Schools has a monopoly on cheating, though I must admit that they’ve made it into an epic art form. I was Dean at Chattahoochee ‘93-97 and student cheating was rampant. I worked with a dozen or so concerned teachers for an entire year to develope a systematic plan to eradicate cheating. We created a good plan. Principal Bob Burke with his mail-order doctorate from Nova squashed the plan and fired me as Dean. He knew that actually doing something about a problem would ruffle some feathers. We can’t have that. His reward: cushy job at central office. That’s the way things work in public education. It’s all about the “show.” Bev Hall and friends just took it to the next level.
Advocate for Children
July 7th, 2011
12:23 am
I agree with Victor. How can we go about changing wrong to right? Where do we go from here? First of all, we need a clean slate. Cheating has been rampant and embedded in this school system for years, way before Dr. Hall. We must break this cycle. We need new people up top and on many administrative levels.
Scott Frillman Antioch, Illinois
July 7th, 2011
12:26 am
Most of you are missing the point. We have turned the children of this country and their education into a commodities like corn, soybeans, wheat, and pork bellies. You can’t just “produce” your way to educational success. Kids are not widgets. But because of NCLB, they have been reduced to a test score, A NUMBER! Education should be about HUMAN INTERACTION…..between a great, caring, inspiring, teacher and a student with endless possibilities. Instead, schools are nothing more than sausage factories and the kids are the casings. NCLB says shove it in, so we shove it in. I am so glad I am not a student of today. Unfortunately, my kids are and I teach them to screw the standardized tests, enjoy your teacher and classmates, ask questions, do all of your homework all of the time, question authority, and read books that YOU want to read.
So, do we reduce kids to numbers or treat them appropriately, like human beings? Stop the oppressive standardized testing. Teach!!!
Dr. Hall: I knew nothing about cheating in Atlanta schools. – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | iJS Technology Solutions
July 7th, 2011
12:30 am
[...] Dr. Hall: I knew nothing about cheating in Atlanta schools. Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) In a statement through her attorney today, a vacationing Beverly Hall — reportedly in Hawaii — says she was unaware of widespread cheating in the school system that she oversaw for 12 years. View the original here: Dr. Hall: I knew nothing about cheating in Atlanta schools. – Atlanta Journal Constitution (bl… [...]
KIcked Upstairs.
July 7th, 2011
12:49 am
I hope you don’t mind a northerner chiming in from New Jersey, but I found this site from another news blog, and had to make a comment about Hall. I remember when Dr, Beverly Hall was placed in charge of the Newark, NJ public schools from 1995-99 after the state claimed the previous superintendent was corrupt and the State of NJ took over. In her time as superintendent, Hall took a $18 million surplus and turned it into a $56 million dollar deficit. The AJC mentions this in another article, but doesn’t mention that an audit revealed that paperwork could not be found for $30 million in transactions. There was also a case of checks being taken from the back of checkbooks and used secretly. No one ever went to jail and the state gave Newark a bailout in 2000 to cover the shortfall. The scandal was common knowledge up here (being reported in the Times and the Star Ledger), but Hall was hired in Atlanta anyway. How did she get in with all that bad publicity?
Chris
July 7th, 2011
1:00 am
I disagree with the comments which claim that the wealthy look to improve the education system out of guilt over the urban culture. That culture, and this system, suit them just fine. This system assures that the powerless remain so. It guarantees that access to opportunity is not remotely evenly distributed across all demographics. The current failures in NCLB feed the hegemony which has hoarded true educational access for 200 years in the United States. The children of the super wealthy are always going to have access to an elite education. NCLB’s attempts to level the playing field for the other 98% of the population takes away any chance those students had of rising above relative mediocrity and into the highst echelons of wealth/power.
A very high percentage of children were going to grow to be adult blue collar workers from the day they were born, yet we spend billions of dollars a year trying to educate them into impossibilities and pipe dreams. These students were not going to be left behind. They were going to fill a labor necessity. The opportunity costs of those billions of dollars squandered on false hope are immeasurable. We marginalize tens of thousands of gifted students at the expense of this farse. That may make good politics, but it makes a lousy nation.
MomAndMathTeacher
July 7th, 2011
1:06 am
@Laurie
willful blindness – probably the best comment of all. Thanks Laurie.