Educators Convicted in School Cheating Scandal : Public Education As a Racketeering Enterprise

The New York Times reports:

In a major victory for prosecutors, a number of Atlanta educators were found guilty on Wednesday for their roles in public schools cheating scandal, bringing a close to a half-decade drama that tarnished a major school district’s reputation and raised questions nationwide about the wisdom of pushing educators to improve students’ standardized test scores.

Eleven of the former educators were convicted of racketeering charges, in a decision announced in a Georgia courtroom. Only one of the 12 educators on trial was acquitted of the racketeering charge; verdicts on the theft and false statements charges were mixed.

The dozen educators who stood trial, including five teachers and a principal, were indicted in March 2013 after years of questions about how Atlanta students had substantially improved their scores on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test, a standardized examination given throughout Georgia.

Public education as a racketeering enterprise.