Atlanta

The National Landscape: Atlanta

In 2001 – the year that the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act was passed – standardized test scores in the Atlanta Public Schools began to rise steadily and almost inexplicably.

Some teachers received bonuses for the results they were getting in improving student test scores. Superintendent Beverly Hall, who led the district since 1999, was credited with a dramatic transformation. Hall was named 2009 National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators.

But if the results appeared too good to be true, it’s because they were. After an investigation, it was revealed that the test score increases were the result of widespread cheating.

Teachers and principals at 44 schools – several later citing the pressure they felt under NCLB’s mandate that students pass standardized tests – had been erasing and changing students’ answers.

In 2013, 35 educators were indicted on charges including racketeering and making false statements. Among those charged were former superintendent Hall, six principals, two assistant principals, and 13 teachers.