After the cheating scandal in Atlanta schools, what's next for families -- and American education? | Learning Matters: Reporting you trust on education stories that matter

August 8th, 2011

WATCH: Cheating In Atlanta: The Human Element, And The Effects

Produced by: Cat McGrath, John Tulenko, and David Wald / Duration: 9:00

( Click here to download the podcast )

The cheating scandal in Atlanta schools has been a black mark on American education — but when we speak about it, we often focus on administrators, principals, and teachers. What about the students whose scores were falsified, and their families? How do they feel? And with the chances that cheating is more widespread than we think, where is the system headed next?

In a report for PBS Newshour, we attempted to answer these questions.

Download transcript (PDF)

This program is made possible by the following funders:
Grade Level Reading Fund of the Tides Foundation, The Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki Foundation, The Wallace Foundation, and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

What do we do with the cheaters?

John Merrow wonders what we do with those who wronged our children in this situation. READ

With testing, where do we go from here?

When the ranting ends over cheaters in our schools, we need to move forward — so, what are our options? READ

Tags: cheating, Economics of Education, families, Firing Teachers, inner city, Policy and Programs, Teacher evaluations, teacher unions, The role of teachers

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6 comments

August 9, 2011 at 1:34 pm
Arthur M. Harkins says:

You may be interested in my 2010 co-authored article on “ethical” cheating in On The Horizon (Emerald Publishing).

August 9, 2011 at 5:34 pm
Linda Johnson says:

John, you have kept an open mind and (I think) this has led you to suspect that the “reform” movement is probably just “lies, damned lies and statistics” designed to allow corporate interests to get their hands on public school money.

At the moment the city of New York is bragging about its improved test scores, but so far as I know, these tests have almost no security and are probably no more valid than the ones in DC or Atlanta. Please look into this.

What public education needs more than anything else right now is for someone to uncover the truth. I believe you are such a person. Thank you.

August 10, 2011 at 11:51 am
Cevin Soling says:

This is all kind of a joke, isn’t it? There is an assumption that the test scores themselves are indicative or something meaningful with regards to education. I would be curious to see how students who score well on a test legitimately, do on that same test a year later. Undoubtedly, the bulk of the information is forgotten when it is no longer being tested. This whole approach to education is flawed and the concept of “cheating” is this context is erroneous. The wrong lesson is being learned and the wrong approach is being taken.

August 10, 2011 at 12:57 pm
John Sam says:

WHOLE STORY includes FAKE INVESTIGATIONS by APS-OIR & GA-PSC Good ole boys of GA made a deal w/HALL http://topschoolatlanta.blogspot.com/2011/08/open-records-atlanta-public-schools.html

August 11, 2011 at 12:47 am
Paul Muench says:

The simple solution is to have independent testers. I guess the only question for that solution is the cost.

August 16, 2011 at 8:12 am
Jon Awbrey says:

All it means is that Bush’s “No Corporation Left Behind” agenda never had the support of the people and the teaching troops on the ground in the first place. Where we should go from here — is where we should have started in the first place — asking them why that is.

But no, someone might actually learn something.

Learning Matters: Reporting you trust on education stories that matter

WATCH: Cheating In Atlanta: The Human Element, And The Effects

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