How the Ed. Dept. Could Intervene in Cheating Scandals
A significant part of Education Secretary Arne Duncan's education reform agenda relies on states and school districts having good, reliable data from test scores. So it's no surprise that he and his Department of Education crew are trying to figure out what they can do to stem the damage done by cheating scandals, including the at-times-shocking one that's unfolding in Atlanta.
Duncan has already said he believes the Atlanta cheating scandal is being looked at by the department's inspector general's office, which is its law enforcement arm. That office, which tries to ferret out fraud and waste involving federal funds, has had no comment on the cheating scandals. But back in 2010, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the U.S. attorney's office in Atlanta was investigating whether the district committed fraud by inflating test scores, which earned the district federal education bonus dollars through No Child Left