Scandal and a Schism Rattle Atlanta’s Schools
By KIM SEVERSON
Published: December 11, 2010
ATLANTA — Did any school district in the country have a tougher week than the one in Atlanta?
Kendrick Brinson for The New York Times
Dr. Beverly Hall, Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent, in a kindergarten class at Centennial Place Elementary School.
First, criminal investigators began digging anew into accusations of widespread cheating on state standardized tests that had been plaguing the district for two years.
The allegations, which center on dozens of employees who are suspected of changing test answers to improve scores, have already been the focus of investigations by the state and the Atlanta school system that have cost more than $1 million.
The new investigation led an influential group of black pastors to call a news conference to denounce what they say is a “witch hunt” on educators who — however misguided —