Teachers cheating on the test? I can't believe it! (notes of sarcasm) check out this NYTimes report: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/education/11cheat.html?hp
I saw this when I was teaching in NC in 2002-4. Nothing new, but it certainly must be on the rise. Of course, I believe that most teachers are NOT doing this, but, come on! What happens when you set up a system of perverse incentives and very little regulation? The testing system heaps demands on teachers without giving them the necessary tools to achieve what is demanded. What these teachers and administrators are doing is absolutely inexcusable, but we cannot ignore the structural aspects of the system that push them to points of desperation where they must make this sort of choice.
(one additional thought about the Georgia case - these guys were caught because they were stupid enough to cheat in ways that made them stand out, like giving their school a statistically improbable set of scores or commanding the entire staff to cheat. How many people are there out there who have half a brain and cheat in more cunning and less detectable ways?)
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Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteYour blog has been coming up on my daily Google alert for "civic activity, citizenship" for weks now, and I thought I'd finally drop a note. Love your focus on education for democracy. I'm at the University of Maryland in the Sociology department trying to look at civic activities/ civic contributions of non-citizens--but I was (and still consider myself) a teacher before I landed here, and I certainly share your interest in how institutions of education shape civic behaviors. Looking forward to reading more from you!
--margaret