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The cheating scandal that has rocked the Atlanta Public School system for the better part of five years is now coming to a close with nearly three dozen indictments against educators in the city. Now, those found guilty of myriad charges, from racketeering to making false charges, have been given a deadline to report for jail. Among those indicted is Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Beverly Hall, who received hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses directly tied to the “improvements” in standardized test scores.

A Long, Sordid Saga Comes to a Close

Suspicions of cheating throughout the Atlanta Public School system were first raised in 2008 by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. According to the , the publication ran a story questioning the “statistically improbable” test score improvements at one of the city’s elementary schools. The Journal Constitution followed up with other levels of suspicious test results at ten more schools throughout the city.

What evolved after those reports was a long and complex investigation launched by former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. Perdue put numerous state resources behind the study, assigning two state prosecutors and dozens of investigators to the task. The study took several years to complete and eventually told a sordid tale of teachers forced into test cheating by intense pressure coming from top officials in the district.

This video reports on the Atlanta Schools cheating scandal.

Dozens of Counts

Climate change has never been a consistent part of school science curriculum. Some teachers have touched on the subject, but few have delved into the matter with the depth it requires for thorough understanding. Sometimes it is presented as a controversial theory, and at other times it is taught as irrefutable fact. Now, new national science standards are due out that could streamline the educational approach to the subject of climatic shift.

About the New Standards

The new science standards were created as a result of a partnership between the National Research Council and the National Science Foundation, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and National Science Teachers Association. The non-profit group Achieve was also a part of the collaboration. Standards introduce the concept of climate change at a much younger grade and continue to expand on the subject throughout middle and high school. Mark McCaffrey, programs and policy director for the National Science Foundation called the new standards “revolutionary.”

This video from Teacher TV offers an overview of climate change.

Until now, the only effort to establish national science standards was in 1996, when the National Science Education Standards were published by the National Research Council. However, few states did much to bring those standards into the classroom. In 2010, a new effort was launched to produce standards in science, and the National Research Council recruited the other entities

In the traditional school, the curriculum is chosen by school board members and taught by faculty – usually standing in front of a classroom of students. Students can choose to engage in the lesson or not, but until now, they rarely have much say in what or how they learn. One high school in Massachusetts has set courses on a new learning adventure, where students choose the subjects and run the classroom as they see fit. Does it work? Let’s find out.

The Independent Project

recently reported on an innovative program taking place at Monument Mountain Regional High School in Massachusetts. The program, aptly dubbed the “Independent Project,” offers students a chance to determine how and what they study during school hours. The project was started by a student who became frustrated by seeing his friends lose interest in learning and stop trying to perform academically.

Sam Levin complained to his mother about the problem, who promptly suggested Levin start his own school. The high school student began with a garden on school property that was fully tended by students voluntarily. When Levin saw how readily students put forth effort on a project of their own, he decided to expand the garden concept to other aspects of the school experience.

This video discusses the student-driven concept of running Monument Mountain RHS in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

“I was seeing the

The third largest school district in the country is bracing for the closure of more than 50 schools at the end of the academic year. After months of debate and consideration, Chicago Public Schools have officially announced plans to close 54 schools inside the massive district. Eleven additional schools will be sharing space with other schools nearby. The announcement was greeted by anger, frustration, and even tears by some teachers, parents, and students, but district officials insist the move is necessary to help Chicago Public Schools balance a hurting budget.

This video reports on the impending closure of more than 50 Chicago schools.

Principals, Teachers, and Parents Given Official Closure Notices

The reports that principals of the schools slated for closure began receiving official notices on March 21. However, district officials remained mum about the plans until the end of that day. That is when Barbara Byrd-Bennett, chief officer for Chicago Public Schools, released a statement saying, “For too long children in certain parts of Chicago have been cheated out of the resources they need to succeed because they are in underutilized, under-resourced schools.”

reports that while the official closing list will not be released until March 31, parents also began receiving letters from their children’s schools about the closure plans. Most affected schools are located in neighborhoods where a large percentage of the student