The Untold Story of the Atlanta Public Schools Cheating Scandal

FEATURING SHANI ROBINSON AND ANNA SIMONTON – More than ten years ago dozens of teachers in the Atlanta Public School system in Georgia were accused of participating in a widespread test-score cheating scandal. Most of them took plea deals but 11 educators decided to go to trial to maintain their innocence. They were charged with racketeering and conspiracy – the same charges that are brought up against those involved in organized crime. The all-black teachers were at the center of a national story that showcased educator criminality but not the failings of the educational system. Moralistic news coverage and analysis followed with lots of finger wagging.

Now, years later many of the teachers insist they are innocent. Not only have they struggled to rebuild their lives, but the Atlanta Public school system has also not fully recovered. A new book aims to correct the record on the story and draw attention to the broader issue of how our system has failed both educators and students.

Shani Robinson, Anna Simonton, co-authors of ‘None of the Above: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Public Schools Cheating Scandal, Corporate Greed, and the Criminalization of Educators’.