Page 22A Accusations of cheating in Texas schools began in earnest in 2004, when a series of stories in The News uncovered cheating in Wilmer-Hutchins schools in southern Dallas County. The Texas Education Agency initially declined to investigate. But eventually a TEA team found that two-thirds of the test proctors in the district’s elementary schools […]
Faking the Grade: Day 1 sidebars and graphics
PROBLEM SCHOOLS Page 21A Here are some of the Texas schools with the strongest evidence of substantial TAKS cheating, according to a Dallas Morning News analysis: Forest Brook HS, North Forest ISD Forest Brook High is in the long-troubled North Forest district, where eight of its 11 campuses have state ratings of unacceptable and state […]
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Faking the Grade: About the analysis
By Holly K. Hacker and Joshua Benton Staff Writers Page 21A The Dallas Morning News wanted to check whether cheating occurs on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. So it turned to an expert in the field: George Wesolowsky, a professor of management science at McMaster University in Canada. Nearly a decade ago, Dr. […]
Faking the Grade: A conservative estimate
By Joshua Benton and Holly K. Hacker Staff Writers Page 21A The News’ analysis found more than 50,000 students whose answer sheets on the TAKS in 2005 and 2006 appear to have been involved in cheating. But there are several reasons to believe that underestimates the problem – perhaps severely. The News’ data did not […]
Faking the Grade: Common questions about the analysis
Page 20A Can you really detect cheating through statistics? The science of detecting too-similar answer sheets is decades old and well accepted among psychometricians – the people who design standardized tests. It has been the subject of dozens of academic papers in respected journals. Statistical methods similar to The News’ are used to detect cheating […]
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Faking the Grade: Failing to catch cheaters: State says it’s addressed the problem, but News uncovers over 50,000 cases on TAKS
By Joshua Benton and Holly K. Hacker Staff Writers Page 1A First of three parts Tens of thousands of students cheat on the TAKS test every year, including thousands on the high-stakes graduation test, according to an in-depth data analysis by The Dallas Morning News. The analysis – among the first of its kind on […]
Press Club sues former leader over awards; Suit alleges fraud, demands president return all 10 Katies
The Press Club of Dallas is suing its former president for allegedly faking the judging of the Katie Awards, one of the region’s top prizes for journalists.
The suit, filed Monday in Dallas County District Court, also claims that Elizabeth Albanese was involved in “dishonest and fraudulent” activity with the club’s finances during her 19 months as president.
Last month, The Dallas Morning News reported that Ms. Albanese has a history of mental illness and a criminal history in three states under the name Lisa Albanese, including charges of theft, forgery and circulating false documents.
Ms. Albanese did not return a phone message Tuesday. Attorney Kirte Kinser said that he is representing Ms. Albanese but that he had not been specifically retained for the Press Club suit. He declined to name any other attorneys working for Ms. Albanese or to comment on the suit, which he said he had not seen.
“I think a lot of people are shaking their heads and wondering how we could all have been fooled,” said Rand LaVonn, a former club president and current president of the club’s foundation.
Ms. Albanese was, for seven years, the Dallas bureau chief of The Bond Buyer, a New York-based newspaper that covers the municipal bond business. She became involved in arranging the judging of the Katies in 2003.
Since then, she has won a remarkable 10 Katies, including four last year. One was in one of the Katies’ most prestigious categories, best investigative reporting by a major-market newspaper. […]
COLUMN: Charter chain shows results, ambitions
The preferred term is “promotion ceremony,” for the record. But whatever you do, don’t call what’s about to happen at KIPP TRUTH Academy an “eighth-grade graduation.”
“We reserve the word ‘graduation’ for the end of high school,” said the school’s principal, Steve Colmus. “Finishing eighth grade is a step along the way. But the goal is bigger than that.”
Whatever you call it, members of the first class of eighth-graders are about to, er, complete their stay at the terrific little middle school in South Dallas. They started as fifth-graders when the start-up campus opened in 2003 and celebrated their work last week with a field trip to Washington, D.C.
“It feels good, because some people asked at the time whether we’d still be here in a few years,” Mr. Colmus said. “It’s nice to know we’ve done what we said we’d do.”
But the important thing about these kids isn’t their past. It’s their future. And the same is true of KIPP as a whole.
First, a refresher for those who haven’t heard of KIPP before. It’s a first-rate chain of charter schools that started in Houston in 1994 and has grown to 52 schools in 16 states. In 2003, the first one opened in Dallas, KIPP TRUTH Academy.
(Forgive them their capitalization trespasses.)
KIPP schools are rigorous. Classes last until 5 p.m. There’s a mandatory three-week summer school. There are even – gasp! – classes on some Saturdays. In all, KIPP kids spend about 60 percent more time in class than kids at most schools – and that’s not counting homework. […]
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Ex-Press Club leader’s crime record roils media scene; She blasts ‘witch hunt’; successor doubts ’06 Katies were legitimate
Elizabeth Albanese may be one of the most honored journalists in North Texas. Or she could be at the center of one of its biggest media scandals.
The organization she led until last month, the Press Club of Dallas, is investigating whether she truly earned the four awards she won in a contest for which she helped arrange the judging.
Documents obtained by The Dallas Morning News show that Ms. Albanese has a criminal record under the name Lisa Albanese centered on allegations of theft. Former co-workers described a history of spinning lies. She also has a record of mental illness and delusional behavior.
“It’s incredible,” said the Press Club of Dallas Foundation’s president, Rand LaVonn, when told of The News’ findings. “I’m stunned.”
Ms. Albanese, in an interview with The News, at first said she was the victim of mistaken identity – that she had no criminal record.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about – these are very odd questions,” she said.
But an hour later, she called The News back and acknowledged that Lisa and Elizabeth Albanese are, in fact, one and the same. But she believes that she should not be judged for her past.
“I did have some problems when I was a kid in Virginia,” she said. “I got myself into some trouble. I did the things I needed to do – I paid my fines.” […]
Audit: Dallas charters misused state funds; Exclusive: Schools continue to get taxpayers’ money despite problems
A state audit has found rampant financial mismanagement at three family-run Dallas charter schools – including fictional renovations, imaginary travel and hundreds of thousands of dollars unaccounted for.
The Texas Education Agency has forwarded its findings to the Dallas County district attorney’s office for possible prosecution. Federal regulators have also been notified.
The schools – A+ Academy in Dallas and two Inspired Visions Academy campuses in Dallas and Mesquite – were founded by Don and Karen Belknap. They have been the target of numerous state audits and investigations into allegations of nepotism, sloppy record-keeping and loose financial controls.
But they continue to receive taxpayer funding: well over $38 million in the last eight years. Charter schools are funded by tax dollars, but they are managed by private organizations and lightly regulated by the state.
“It’s some of the most mismanaged, unorganized, unethical business practices I’ve ever come across,” said Laura Kopec, a teacher at A+ Academy who resigned last week after the school tried to cut her pay midyear.
“I’m 40 years old. I’ve been in schools and in business. I’ve run a nonprofit. And I’ve never seen anything like this.” […]