美国国家公共电台 NPR Former Teacher Blames Education Policymakers For Atlanta Cheating Scandal

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

We're going to return now to a story you may remember from a few years back - a cheating scandal in the Atlanta public school system. Prosecutors¹ charged that teachers and administrators² conspired³ to change incorrect answers to inflate⁴ scores on high-stakes standardized⁵ tests. A grand jury indicted⁶ the Atlanta school superintendent⁷ and 34 other educators. Twelve went to trial. And, in 2015, all but one of them were found guilty of racketeering, a charge often used to prosecute⁹ mafia figures. And, in some ways, they were treated as such. Most were led out of court in handcuffs. One of those convicted, Shani Robinson, is free now, pending¹⁰ appeal.

She continues to maintain her innocence¹¹ and is making her case to the public in a new book. It's called "None Of The Above: The Untold¹² Story Of The Atlanta Public School's Cheating Scandal, Corporate¹³ Greed, And The Criminalization Of Educators." Shani Robinson told me one reason she wrote the book was for her son.

SHANI ROBINSON: I wanted him to know the truth about what actually happened to me when he got older. And I also wrote this book to set the record straight and to ask the question - who should really be held accountable for cheating the children? Our children have been cheated by those who have willfully torn apart black communities through displacement¹⁴ and gentrification, underfunded and privatized public schools and, then, have criminalized black educators for a dysfunctional system that was designed to fail.

MARTIN: So let me...

ROBINSON: And I feel like this...

MARTIN: OK. Go ahead. I'm sorry. Go ahead.

ROBINSON: I was going to say I feel like this case is extremely important because public education is under attack, as we've seen, in places where teachers are striking. And the cheating scandal was used to portray¹⁵ public education as a failure and justify¹⁶ privatizing schools. And so many people are resisting that right now. And so we believe that, you know, winning the freedom of Atlanta teachers will be a win for educators everywhere.

MARTIN: So let me be very clear. You say you never erased¹⁸ test scores. Is that - that's...

ROBINSON: Correct.

MARTIN: You never erased test scores. You never participated in any coordinated¹⁹ effort to erase¹⁷ and improve test scores.

ROBINSON: That is correct. And I can go into the day in question, how I was dragged into the scandal, you know, if you'd like. But, no. I never erased any answers...

MARTIN: And are you saying that that never happened?

ROBINSON: ...On any of my students' test.

MARTIN: But you're saying that never happened at all? Are you just saying you did not participate in that?

ROBINSON: I'm saying I did not participate in that.

MARTIN: You were very critical of most of the entities²⁰ who were involved with this whole situation. You feel that the media was biased²¹. You feel that the courts were very biased. You feel that the judge gave, you know, biased instructions to the jury, that he gave biased and, in fact, incorrect instructions to the jury. So you document all this. But how did this start to begin with? I mean, this trial was lengthy²², expensive and embarrassing. And I think that it is fair to say that, you know, most cities don't like negative attention being drawn²³ to them. And we know that Atlanta particularly did not appreciate this negative attention being drawn to them. So what's your theory about why all this happened to begin with?

ROBINSON: Well, that's a good question because when you think about cheating on standardized tests, this is something that was happening over the entire country. Over 40 states have had cheating allegations. In Washington, D.C., there were 103 schools that were flagged for high levels of suspiciously high test scores. And so to think that what happened in Atlanta was, you know, like, an anomaly, you know, that was the biggest thing. Why were the educators in Atlanta charged with racketeering when this was happening over the entire country? And, in the book, we outline Atlanta's history of displacement and the destruction of black communities. And I think the criminalization of black educators was the next legacy²⁴ in that history.

MARTIN: What's your argument for why this happened in this place at this time? I mean, Atlanta has an African-American mayor. The DA is African-American. The two prosecutors are African-American. I mean, what would be their motive²⁵?

ROBINSON: You know, I don't have the answer to that, you know? I don't.

MARTIN: But you seem to think race played a role.

ROBINSON: I absolutely think race played a role.

MARTIN: OK. What role do you think it played?

ROBINSON: There were some white educators who were implicated²⁶ in that GBI report, and none of them were indicted. And I can't help to think that if it was 35 white educators that it would have gotten to this point where they were charged with racketeering.

MARTIN: Why do you think it is that almost two dozen - what was it? - 21 of the educators who were accused entered guilty pleas?

ROBINSON: You know, there were some people who testified during the trial that they only took a plea deal because they were stressed out from the entire ordeal²⁷. And some people - you know, they actually blamed it on No Child Left Behind, that they didn't want their schools to close because, under the No Child Left Behind Act, after a certain number of years, they could close your school. They could turn it into a charter school, or it could be taken over by the state.

And so I was facing 25 years in prison. There were some people who were facing 40 years in prison. And so we had that option of facing decades in prison or doing community service, saying that we're guilty, you know, and maybe paying a fine. And so that was a tough decision to make, having to spend decades in prison or just say that you're guilty.

MARTIN: But you chose not to. And that's one of the things that I think stands out about your book of the - all the people who are accused. And I do want to mention that, to this day, you have refused, despite the fact that you were pregnant at the time, the entire time of the trial, that your child was born just days after the trial concluded - you have, to this day, refused to apologize or admit guilt⁸ because you said that you weren't guilty. And I have to, you know, ask. Like, what is it that gives you such strong conviction that this is what you have to do?

ROBINSON: Because I know that I'm on the right side of justice. And I even get emotional talking about it, but the thought of being blamed for something that I did not do is horrifying²⁸.

MARTIN: Take your time.

ROBINSON: Here I was facing 25 years in prison for something that I didn't do. And I felt like if I was on the right side of justice that, one day, I would be vindicated²⁹. That was the moment that I decided³⁰ I would never take a plea deal.

MARTIN: I mean, do you think anybody is guilty here? I mean, the fact of the matter is that the test scores are published every year in Atlanta, as they are in a lot of cities. And people looking at them thought that there were anomalies. They thought that there were swings in test scores that were not explained by kind of the normal variation that one sees. Do you think that anybody is guilty here? Was anybody cheating?

ROBINSON: Absolutely, absolutely. The education officials and policymakers that have pushed high-stakes testing - that is who has cheated these children. That is who is guilty, which is why you have all of these states that have had high levels of erasures. And no one has done anything about it.

MARTIN: That is Shani Robinson. Her book, "None Of The Above: The Untold Story Of The Atlanta Public Schools Cheating Scandal, Corporate Greed, And The Criminalization Of Educators," is out now. Her co-author is Anna Simonton. Shani Robinson, thanks so much for talking to us.

ROBINSON: Thank you so much for having me.

1 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

2 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

3 conspired   

密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They conspired to bring about the meeting of the two people. 他们共同促成了两人的会面。
• Bad weather and car trouble conspired to ruin our vacation. 恶劣的气候连同汽车故障断送了我们的假日。

4 inflate   

vt.使膨胀，使骄傲，抬高（物价）

参考例句：

• The buyers bid against each other and often inflate the prices they pay.买主们竞相投标，往往人为地提高价钱。
• Stuart jumped into the sea and inflated the liferaft.斯图尔特跳到海里给救生艇充气。

5 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。

6 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

7 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

8 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

9 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

10 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

11 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

12 untold   

adj.数不清的，无数的

参考例句：

• She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
• They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

13 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

14 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

15 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

16 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

17 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。

18 erased   

v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• He erased the wrong answer and wrote in the right one. 他擦去了错误答案，写上了正确答案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He removed the dogmatism from politics; he erased the party line. 他根除了政治中的教条主义，消除了政党界限。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

20 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

21 biased   

a.有偏见的

参考例句：

• a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
• The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。

22 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

23 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

24 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

25 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

26 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

27 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

28 horrifying   

a.令人震惊的，使人毛骨悚然的

参考例句：

• He went to great pains to show how horrifying the war was. 他极力指出战争是多么的恐怖。
• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate. 战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。

29 vindicated   

v.澄清（某人/某事物）受到的责难或嫌疑( vindicate的过去式和过去分词 )；表明或证明（所争辩的事物）属实、正当、有效等；维护

参考例句：

• I have every confidence that this decision will be fully vindicated. 我完全相信这一决定的正确性将得到充分证明。
• Subsequent events vindicated the policy. 后来的事实证明那政策是对的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

30 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。