It’s been nine months since release of the governor’s special investigators’ report into cheating at Atlanta Public Schools on the 2009 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test.
Superintendent Erroll B. Davis Jr. had been on the job for less than a week when it was released. Davis immediately demonstrated his commitment to parents, students, employees and the community by taking ownership of the report. He also took charge of the district’s response — assuring all stakeholders that APS would move without delay to address the issues revealed.
Davis quickly placed all educators implicated on administrative leave; this included 43 principals, four area executive directors, and dozens of teachers and support staff. He put new leaders in nearly half of APS schools, a huge task just weeks before classes began.
Work to implement enhanced testing procedures escalated after the release of the state report in a continuing effort to make our testing environment as secure as possible.
We also initiated a top-to-bottom culture and ethics transformation that includes face-to-face meetings and mandatory annual ethics training for all employees. While we can implement procedures and protocols to prevent improprieties, nothing is more effective than instilling the importance of performing job duties in an honest and ethical fashion. This principle is continually emphasized to all at APS.
Repercussions from the scandal continue to consume district resources, revenues and time. Now that the Fulton County district attorney is allowing district officials to review evidence in the state’s CRCT investigation, we have begun issuing charge letters and scheduling tribunals for employees who allegedly committed improprieties. Many elected to resign or retire. Others remain on administrative leave as required by state law. We continue to follow our disciplinary process in these cases.
The lessons learned from this unfortunate episode include the high cost of failing to recognize malfeasance and wrongdoing that can become imbedded in a culture. Also included is the unfortunate price paid by our students through no fault of their own — some of whom were artificially lifted academically by test cheating and other manipulations, only to be hurt later when it became apparent their gains were achieved through deception.
We are addressing this through a number of support channels, including ongoing instructional programs available for all underperforming students before and after school and on Saturdays. Likely, these lessons can benefit school districts across the country.
The learning continues for us as we strive to move beyond the investigation and toward being a transformed district that is among the best at preparing today’s children for tomorrow’s world.
Steve Smith is associate superintendent, Atlanta Public Schools.
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