Duncan: No link between cheating, NCLB
Places the blame on school leaders
Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Wednesday denied that there is a direct “causal” effect between the high-stakes testing under the No Child Left Behind law and the cheating scandals that have erupted in school systems across the country, including the District.
While saying that pressure to meet NCLB-established benchmarks may have played a role, he blamed the problem on ineffective school leaders who “turned a blind eye” to brewing problems and refused to confront the reality that teachers were lying to students and parents.
“I think there is a morally bankrupt culture there,” Mr. Duncan said, referring specifically to Atlanta, where a recent government probe found that 44 schools and 178 teachers and principals had been faking test scores for the past decade.
Similar cheating charges have been leveled at