The former principal of Kennedy Middle School in Atlanta is the third in a row to plead guilty in the infamous, Atlanta cheating scandal.
In spring 2013, 35 teachers, principals and administrative personnel were indicted on cheating charges for manipulating students’ test scores. Hearings are ongoing. The defendants either concealed cheating practices performed by others or contributed in test score changes themselves, revealing a well-organized conspiracy.
Mr. Lucious Brown’s guilty plea is the third coming from a principal. The former Kennedy Middle School principal is anticipated to contribute important information as to how exactly public school administrators were involved in a conspiracy of racketeering, where educators were forced to change test scores, improving their students’ academic performance, thus keeping their school’s performance in check.
Charged with a felony crime, the former principal confessed to have been changing students’ tests to improve their scores. He also admitted being willingly withholding information about his involvement in the scandal from investigators. To this date, Brown’s guilty plea is the eighteenth in a row of the all people indicted.
The investigations reveal that educators were under enormous pressure. Students’ scores were required to meet the milestones set by the superintendents otherwise teachers would have to face certain consequence. The manipulated test scores resulted in performance bonuses for superintendents and other administrators.
