“My people need freedom, we tryin to get all we can get… They schools aint teachin us, what we need to know to survive. They schools don’t educate. All they teach the people is lies.” Dead Prez, “They Schools,” Let’s Get Free, 2000.
ORDER. Happy Wednesday Daily Dosers. In life there is a certain order to the way situations occur. However, sometimes people find themselves in a bind and create a shortcut as a temporary solution to a problem. Take, for instance, the Atlanta Public School (APS) system. Each year students take the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) as a part of state standards. For years there have been investigations on teachers, administrators, and staff at certain schools who allegedly cheated on the CRCT to make their school meet state standards, and reap the benefits of AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress). At first, I thought maybe APS was the target of a political agenda steeped in race, class, power, and greed. I still do. But now, I’m thinking differently about this because the scandal has escalated. Each day, I turn on the news to see teachers blowing the whistle. Administrators and board members are stepping down and taking a leave of absence while being investigated. Certain staff are resigning. Others are getting fired!!
And as of Monday, the former school superintendent, Dr. Beverly Hall, was in Hawaii on vacation. As a matter of fact, WSB-TV’s Monica Pearson bumrushed her while she was chillin at her hotel. Huh? I thought that was a bit much. Indicative of the situation I suppose. Now APS’s accreditation is at stake.
I’m a product of the Atlanta Public Schools. Elementary through high school, and I take great pride in this system. It breaks my heart to see how this continues to unfold. Could it be the consequences of No Child Left Behind since many of these investigations are from 2008 and before? Perhaps. Could it be the consequences of high-stakes testing? Sure. Teachers experience a lot of pressure to pass these tests. My question is: Why do schools with minority populations make up the majority of schools on the cheating list? You mean to tell me not one majority-populated school has been investigated and charged? Not one? (Scratching my head). At this very moment I do not have the data to prove this finding, but it does not seem statistically probable that no majority school in APS was charged. Was Dr. Hall just bullying folk who looked like her? If so, that’s sad. They fell for the banana in the tailpipe.
The DDR: Cheating is for chumps! Don’t rely on shortcuts because when they are not available, you might not know the REAL way out of the situation. APS is living this right now. Certain school’s test results are a lie and the students are going to be hurt the most. No one knows how to get out of the situation as it continues to unfold day by day. In his song “What Goes Around” Nas raps “Schools were I learned they should be burned” before saying “It is poison!” Dead Prez, in “They Schools”, rap “They schools don’t educate. All they teach the people is lies.” If we had been teaching our children from the beginning instead of teaching to the test, this would not be a problem now would it? And let’s not even get started on the No Child Left Behind Act. No shortcuts people. Life is all about the process. Today, TRUST THE PROCESS.
Wayne
13 July
I work for DC Public Schools and we dealing with the same thing. Damn shame. However, the real question is, “Are we cheating because we’ve been cheated?”
wilson
13 July
very well said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wilson
Isiah
20 July
The issue with high stakes testing is the stakes- not the test. It mirrors the argument against using financial incentives to motivate students. Proper testing should give a current status report of a student’s learned knowledge. The extent to which the results of tests are used for monitoring teachers and schools counterfeits the results. Student preparation is altered towards the tests. Also, student’s develop anxiety because of the culture of hyper-awareness of the repercussions of the test- both student-oriented and school-oriented. The “preparation” and anxiety often have a negative impact on student performance which the test should have been designed to assess. When a test will determine whether a struggling student will graduate, it begs the question: what was the point of all those classes? When you add cultural factors, such as the fact that this student is the first in the family to graduate, or the like, you can sense the impact of high stakes testing. This cheating issue highlights this side effect when school funding is tied to test-based performance. As a fan of APS, I too question the isolated selection of these schools. Ultimately, the questions of fairness will be asked. However, the focus should be refining a process that ensures the learning of all students, and that graduates capable, productive citizens from public schools.