Atlanta Students Cheated of Their Education

It is finally official that the majority of Atlanta public schools have been cheating on the CRCT exams. The exams are used to measure the progress of students and effectiveness of instruction in Georgia Public schools. Led by Dr. Beverly Hall, who recently retired, there are reports of a culture of fear that caused teachers and instructions to fudge the number and erase and correct answers on students test sheets. In the report, "investigators named nearly 180 educators, including more than three dozen principals, as participants in cheating on state curriculum tests." Many of these people have confessed to the misdeeds.

Parents feel betrayed. Personally, I purchased my home based on statistics coming from schools. My priority was school safety. I later found out that those numbers (in Gwinnett County) were misrepresented as it was later revealed that a handful of school systems had under reported school crime including Sacramento, Calif.; Palm Beach County, Fla.; Philadelphia; and Gwinnett County near Atlanta, Ga.

Similar to myself, People buy houses near one such school based on test score results. Morris Brandon is one such school and Marsha Sims is one such parent, as reported by WSBTV. children's education are not only at risk, but so is her property value with this official report of misrepresenting.

Parents and all Atlanta citizens have every right to be upset that they were cheated and lied to. However, they need to realize that they can only be cheated if they allow it. Parents should understand that the ONLY way to know that your kids are learning is to teach them yourself. Do that mean homeschooling? Perhaps... perhaps not. But at the least, parents should examine homework and assignments daily. Parents should be familiar with national education standards so you can compare the work with their children's. Parents should make sure their kids understand all concepts taught in school and push for more work if your kids has mastered what is given to them.

Until parents take action and take the ultimate and active responsibility for their kids education we will continue to be duped and robbed. It won't stop in Atlanta.