Atlanta Public School Cheating Case Study

In his book, Race, Racism, and American Law, Derrick Bell maintains that the American government is only willing to lessen the injustices imposed on African-Americans if it will positively impact the white community--either economically or politically. The chapter, “Neither Separate Schools Nor Mixed Schools: The Chronicle of the Sacrificed Black Schoolchildren,” in Derrick Bell’s book, And We Are Not Saved, demonstrates this point through the fictional disappearance of black schoolchildren while on their way to their school. At first, there was public outrage over such an unexplainable incident occurring, especially in the midst of all the political and cultural progress made by the recent decision to integrate public schools. Then, it is revealed that the main incentives for the school board’s sympathy and distress were because, “state funding of the schools was based on average daily attendance figures, [therefore] the school system faced a serious deficit during the current year,” (And We Are Not Saved, 105).

After the implementation of the “No Child Left Behind Act” high risk standardized testing has become a pressure cooker of corruption in the United States due to often unrealistic expectations, abundant incentives, and harsh punishments placed upon educators and administrators, overall resulting in the essential need for reform. The concept that every student’s academic ability can be assessed by a single universal exam is a misguided notion.

Another theme presented in multiple articles was a rise in cheating. Source number one, “Do Standardized Tests Show an Accurate View of Students’ Abilities”, believes that because the push to do well on standardized tests is such a priority, “some institutions consider cheating” (Concordia University). Source number two, “Is the Use of Standardized Test Improving Education in America,” disagrees, explaining that cheating by administrators and students is not an issue, and not a reason to terminate standardized testing. This source also clarifies that “[i]t is likely that some cheating occurs, but some people cheat on their tax returns also, and the solution is not to abolish taxation” (Standardized Tests - ProCon.org). Source number three, “Test Our Children Well”, proposes a solution that by using the “testing effect”, “teachers could develop new tests questions each week for each class…” (Emanuel 10) and by doing so, will eliminate the opportunity for student to cheat on exams.

The gap between the nation’s best and worst public schools continues to grow. Our country is based on freedom and equality for all, yet in practice and in the spectrum of education this is rarely the case. We do not even have to step further than our own city and its public school system, which many media outlets have labeled “dysfunctional” and “in shambles.” At the same time, Montgomery County, located just northwest of the District in suburban Maryland, stands as one of the top school systems in the country. Within each of these systems, there are schools that excel and there are schools that consistently measure below average. Money alone can not erase this gap. While

In the case of Robert Russa High School, Black residents lobbied the Prince Edward County school district to erect a separate African-American high school. Their request was met with tepid support from the local school board. However, “under pressure from local black professional men, during the 1920s the Prince Edward County School Board reluctantly added high school grades to the all-black Mary E. Branch Elementary School. The blame for such slow and inadequate effort was always placed on the lack of funds. Although it was true that financing problems existed, all-white schools still tended to fare better.” (VA GOV). The façade of “separate but equal” continued to shape political rhetoric for the Prince Edward County School Board. However, Robert Russa High School’s creation and establishment amid white institutional pushback demonstrated the power of “Black persistence” in Farmville,

In the perspective of a Functionalist, a limited amount of crime is necessary of all societies (Farley and Flota 2013, 315). The cheating scandal that occurred at Stuyvesant High School would be described by Durkheim and other Functionalists as normal and beneficial to the entire high school. Deviance, in this case cheating, enables societies to adapt (Farley and Flota 2013, 315). By punishing the twelve students and speculating punishment for 54 other students, the hierarchy of the school system is being maintained (Baker 2012). The faculty is making it clear that the school rejects academic dishonesty which in turn helps define what is approved. Due to the large-scale that cheating occurred, the faculty had to adapt their policies to regain control. The following year, 17 cell phones were confiscated from students on the first day of school (Baker 2012). Although there was already a no cell phone policy in place, the staff acted in a stricter matter than before the cheating incident in to regain control over the students (Farley and Flota 2013, 315).

Throughout the history of America issues around race have brought great debate and augments. Being a nation birthed from ideals of freedom and undeniable human rights, America has failed in being truthful to its founding. The treatment of African-American is an atrocity that stains the history of our nation’s past. Steps have been made to heal the injustice, but they are just steps. In this essay, I will be discussing school desegregation focusing on the landmark and controversial Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education and the effect is had on the nation and even the world. Many people ignore the fact school segregation has not been fixed. The Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education is just something people learn in their social studies class. Most think this case was the end of the story and schools were desegregated and everything was happily ever after, but this is sadly not the reality. The reality is Brown has failed us. The effects can be seen in the schools of today in many American cities but in this essay, I will use the case of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul to illustrate the massive shortcomings of this ruling today.

I participate in a tutoring program for elementary students in Dorchester, an underserved community in Boston. Working with the children has helped me eliminate preconceived ideas that led me to believe schools were bad because the parents did not pay enough attention to their children's educations. I now realize that the problems in education have more to do with the amount of funding that goes into certain schools. Ignorance and distance from reality caused me to believe that struggling neighborhoods inherently produce bad students. I now understand that the problems within the school do not reflect the students’ abilities.

Karen Anderson’s objective in writing this article is too provide the reader with evidence of the social and political issues that were prominent during the Little Rock School desegregation crisis. In addition, to show how influential the white businessmen were to the local politics, even though they seemed invisible to the general public.

Racism is an obstacle that continues to play an active role in daily lives across the global. Currently, Americans are outraged by the actions of white police officers toward black men. In Ferguson, Missouri an unarmed, black teenager was shot by a white police officer and a black man was choked to death by a white officer in New York City. Racial tensions run deep in the United States, but race is social construction that is learned. Sociologist Amanda Lewis’s book, Race in the Schoolyard: Negotiating the Color Line in Classrooms and Communities defends the notion that schools are institutions in which children learn about race and maintain racial inequality.

Remembering my many years working in this system it come to mind that Hillsborough County school were once segregated Pupil and Staff. Attorney Dawson, my Husband assumed the difficult and unpopular task to provide an equal public education to all the children in the Hillsborough county school system. His efforts spanned a period over 27 years. During these 27 years of legal exertion, he characteristically did what he has always done as a lawyer in this city for over 40 years. His tenacity and professionalism is a hallmark of all of his legal work. His determination and legal expertise helped him to eliminate the dual (one system for Whites and yet another subpar system for Blacks) in this county. He saw it though to its conclusion - 27 long years.

David Kane is an African-American young gentleman, who has been latterly awarded the position of a principal at the Thurgood Marshall High School, Illinois. The school is two years old and divided into four “house”, each comprised of 300 students, 18 faculty members and a housemaster. Dr. Louis Parker had been the school’s first principal and had an impressive background, but he reassigned in disillusionment and many described him as a “broken man” .

When asking a student do they think cheating is bad most will say yes and will even admit to cheating.Cheating doesn’t affect many students on a regular day basis until they have been caught red-handed.When it comes to cheating blame automatically goes to the student but what about the adult as well.Some teachers have admitted to seeing student cheat but haven't said anything because it was on homework.Some teachers have even gone to the depth of helping a student cheat on a test.There was a survey that was taken through all of the high schools asking students if they had ever cheated on a test, the results were that there were 64 percent who cheated,58 who plagiarised, and above all 95 percent of them admitted to cheating of some sort.(Academic Integrity Under Statistics paragraph 3 )Students cheat to make it through a semester and to make their parents proud.Students cheat simply because of lack of knowledge, pressure from the adult looking for them to do their best, and last lack of time.

The coaches of the Destrehan high school football team “accessed South Lafourche’s, s rival high school, “user name and access to Hudl and spent some 12 hours viewing footage.” (Ogul, David, 10/31/2013, https://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/destrehan-football-investigation-cheating/2013/10/31/id/534217). When the coaches accessed Hudl, they looked at Lafourche’s playbooks giving them an advantage over the opposing team. Fox News reported the “the coaches admitted to accessing the playbook” (10-31-2013, http://video.foxnews.com/v/2790113641001/?#sp=show-clips). The St. Charles Parish Public Schools, which includes Destrehan, mission statement “is to provide high quality educational opportunities to enable its students to become responsible, productive citizens and enthusiastic life-long learners” (St. Charles Public Schools, n.d., https://www.stcharles.k12.la.us/GuidingDocuments). The football team, being a part of the school, is responsible for upholding the schools mission, vision, and values. Being responsible productive citizens does not include cheating. Therefore, the coaches’ strategy to win the football game did not align with the school’s mission. Their actions caused damage to the school’s reputation and they were not good role models for their

We examined the issues, problems, and solutions to equitable schooling in a pluralistic society. Viewing schools as social institutions that transform the cultural and political dynamics of society. Some of my favorite activities in that class had to do with the articles of Crystal City and Little Rock Nine. The Walkout in Crystal City article was about how in 1969, Mexican Americans were prohibited from speaking Spanish in school and there were no classes or lessons about Mexican history, culture or literature and how the he Crystal City students came together after the school board refused to hear the students' demands and the walkout remains a high point in the history of student activism in the Southwest. The Little Rock Nine article had to do with the decision that was made on May 17, 1954 due to BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation of America’s public schools was unconstitutional. That is when nine black students enrolled at formerly all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in September 1957. Even though the students were not wanted their and discriminated against, they were still brave enough to encounter the mistreatment is order to show that they to deserved to have the education and equality that the caucasian students had. This really encouraged me to collaborate