Title: None of the Above Pdf The Untold Story of the Atlanta Public Schools Cheating Scandal, Corporate Greed, and the Criminalization of Educators
An insider's account of the infamous Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal that scapegoated black employees for problems caused by an education reform movement that is increasingly a proxy for corporate greed.
In March of 2013, 35 black educators in Atlanta Public Schools were charged with racketeering and conspiracy - the same charges used to bring down the American mafia - for allegedly changing students' answers on standardized tests. The youngest of the accused, Shani Robinson had taught for only three years and was a new mother when she was wrongfully convicted and faced up to 20 years in prison.
In None of the Above, Robinson and journalist Anna Simonton explore how racist policies and practices cheated generations of black children out of opportunities long before some teachers tampered with tests. Examining the corporate education-reform movement, hyper-policing in black communities, cycles of displacement and gentrification, and widening racial and economic disparities in Atlanta, they reveal how the financially powerful have profited from privatization and the dismantling of public education. Against this backdrop, they cast the story of the cheating scandal in a new light, illuminating a deeply flawed investigation and a circus-like trial spun into a media sensation that defied justice.
Infuriating and important I see this as one of a pair of bookends.....books explaining/exemplifying some of the abusive and deceitful tactics being inflicted by/on educators and the corporate—and corrupt—manipulators of them. I recommend reading Russakoff’s THE PRIZE as you read this. And—provided you don’t have high blood pressure—I strongly recommend reading this sordid and sorry analysis of ‘the Atlanta cheating scandal.’An inside look at the Atlanta Test Cheating Scandal from a teacher convicted in the case This is a story of the 2009 Atlanta standardized test cheating scandal, from the perspective of one of the teachers, Shani Robinson, who was accused and convicted. Yes, it is self-serving. All books of this type are. We know, when we sit down to read a book like this, that the protagonist will be kind, virtuous and full of integrity, that prosecutors will be over-zealous, politically-motivated hacks, that prosecution witnesses will all be liars, hoping to save their own skin, and that the judge will senile, impatient and incompetent. In sense, None of the Above delivers a solid exemplar of the genre.Where the book does best is in retelling the core story, from the initial interview of Robinson by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, to grand jury testimony (she pleads the Fifth) to indictment, booking, trial, judgement and sentencing (As the book ends, Robinson is free on bond, awaiting appeal.) This part works well, a good pace, told smartly, engaging the reader, hard to put down.However, padding out the rest of the 250+ pages, are less-interesting passages discussing the evils of urban gentrification, arguments against charter schools, land speculation, racism, and a full litany of complaints. It is enough that the author professed her innocence. It is not required that she solve all of society’s ills at the same time.So, is Shani Robinson guilty or innocent? Hearing only the case for the defense, one cannot really say. But, the book does make a good argument for the case being over-charged, in that RICO statutes, created to prosecute organized crime, were stretched nearly to the breaking point, to take what, at most, should have been a matter for discipline within the school district, and turned it into a felony. This should concern us all.(I received a review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.)An essential read -- and a very tough one I've read many books on legal injustice; this was one of the most difficult to deal with emotionally. The book tells a story of well-meaning people -- mostly black -- who were caught up in a firestorm of a punitive, vindictive judge and a merciless press determined to report a scandal.Shari Robinson was innocent, based on the facts. Her first grade class took tests that didn't count toward any assessments for her or the school. She'd been ordered to erase "stray marks" on the test booklet; it seemed reasonable, so she did. By the time the trials began, she was out of the school system. But many of her fellow educators lost everything -- their licenses, their homes and their reputations. The judge insisted on sending many to prison. Shari escaped the first round of sentencing because she was pregnant; at the close of this book, she's appealing a one-year sentence followed by probation. The judge promised some people reduced sentences if they'd admit they'd done wrong and apologize -- even if they hadn't -- but handed down stiff sentences anyway, even when the prosecution recommended less time.The prosecution apparently relied heavily on teachers and principals who would testify against their colleagues; when this happens, false accusations are inevitable.A few voices dissented; a prosecutor told the Journal-Constitution that it was unusual to publicly accuse people of criminal activity without grand jury indictments.Shari herself realized some bad apples existed, but wondered how someone could go through 3 tests, change the appropriate answers for every student, and complete the paperwork. One person “confessed” to slitting open the package of tests and resealing with a cigarette lighter. The charges read like a kangaroo court (my word); in one case a defendant was accused to acting alone to agree to a conspiracy.And to put things in perspective, she writes about the “naked hypocrisy” of public figures who cried about the damage done to these poor children, who would be “cheated out of a decent life.” While a few administrators did cheat, “most teachers were doing the best they could” with too few resources and too many children with serious problems. As she says, real estate “moguls” and financiers were appropriating funds that were earmarked for education.The trials were expensive for the court system and devastating to the defendants. They did nothing for the children. It’s a tough book to read. We tend to think that we in the US support justice, in contrast to past and present totalitarian regimes.I live in Philadelphia. After reading this book, it’s tough to walk past historical monuments that proclaim the slogan enshrined in the pledge of allegiance: “liberty and justice for all.” It’s a reminder that we must always be vigilant and speak out against injustice, which can arise in even the most unlikely of contexts, harming some of the people most dedicated to selflessly helping others.
Tags: B07MNJ7WXZ pdf,None of the Above pdf,The Untold Story of the Atlanta Public Schools Cheating Scandal, Corporate Greed, and the Criminalization of Educators pdf,,Shani Robinson, Anna Simonton, Lisa Renee Pitts, Random House Audio,None of the Above: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Public Schools Cheating Scandal, Corporate Greed, and the Criminalization of Educators,Random House Audio,B07MNJ7WXZ
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