David Ellison: High-stakes testing has brought out the worst in public education
Posted: 08/01/2011 12:00:00 AM PDT
Three weeks ago, the Georgia governor's office capped its investigation of Atlanta's schools with a scathing 800-page report.
It described with horrific detail the school district's "culture of cheating."
In fact, investigators discovered that teachers and principals had been changing student answers on standardized exams at 44 of the 56 schools examined. Eighty-two educators admitted to altering tests, and their testimony implicated 96 others.
Many additional districts are facing similar scrutiny, including the District of Columbia, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Atlanta's debacle is particularly galling, however, given the amount of accolades the district had received for its