By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A HOUSTON – Houston school officials will unleash an army of test monitors to make sure their teachers and principals aren’t helping students cheat on the TAKS test, the district’s superintendent said Thursday. The move is a response to a Dallas Morning News investigation that found strong evidence that […]
Category: DMN | Education
Celebrated school accused of cheating; Exclusive: TAKS results too good to be true at Houston elementaries
By Joshua Benton and Holly K. Hacker Staff Writers Page 1A Houston’s Wesley Elementary may be the most celebrated school in Texas. When George W. Bush, running for governor in 1994, wanted to declare education his No. 1 priority, he went to Wesley, where desperately poor students outscored children in the wealthiest suburbs. When Oprah […]
Cheating allegations at Wesley go back to 2003; Teacher had addressed HISD board meeting about problem
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 2A The fact there might be cheating at Wesley Elementary is not news to Houston officials. In June 2003, former Wesley teacher Donna Garner stood before a meeting of the Houston school board and directly accused officials of cheating at Wesley. “I was instructed on how to cheat and […]
W-H staffers receiving unearned pay; District trying to find who’s getting extra fees for former duties
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B A significant number of longtime Wilmer-Hutchins school district employees have been receiving payments they shouldn’t, according to district officials. James Damm, the district’s interim superintendent, said he is moving to find out whose paychecks are larger than they should be and to ensure that the excess payments stop […]
Tools may stem cheating; Test scores, analysis available, but TEA doesn’t use information
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A Last of two parts Education researchers are clear: The vast majority of teachers are honest people and wouldn’t think of doctoring their students’ results on a standardized test. But unfortunately, “the vast majority” doesn’t include everybody. In a high-pressure, high-stakes environment, some teachers are going to cross an […]
Cheating may be pervasive; Exclusive: TAKS surges raise questions about hundreds of schools
By Joshua Benton and Holly K. Hacker Staff Writers Page 1A A Dallas Morning News data analysis has uncovered strong evidence of organized, educator-led cheating on the TAKS test in dozens of Texas schools – and suspicious scores in hundreds more. The analysis found a poor urban school where third- and fifth-graders are among the […]
Wilmer-Hutchins board votes to close 3 schools; Police Department also gets ax as district tries to rein in costs
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B The Wilmer-Hutchins district will be three schools smaller when classes start again next month. The district’s school board voted, 5-2, Monday night to close Hutchins Elementary, A.L. Morney Learning Center and the performing arts magnet high school. It also voted to eliminate the district’s Police Department and fire […]
Wilmer-Hutchins district plans to close 3 campuses to cut costs; Schools chief says arts magnet, elementary, learning center to shut
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B Wilmer-Hutchins officials plan to shut down three of the district’s eight schools as part of an attempt to cut costs and move the district out of its financial emergency. “In good times, I’m not sure I could support these schools,” interim Superintendent James Damm said at Monday’s board […]
Column: Walking out of class, into civil rights lore
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B Diana Aguilera just wanted to be a cheerleader. Not such an unusual hope for a 14-year-old girl, even in the turbulent spring of 1969. But Diana’s skin was brown, and the white folks who ran Crystal City High School would allow only one Hispanic on the cheerleading squad […]
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Staffing has W-H in a bind; District has too many workers but can’t abide by class cap, officials say
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A Wilmer-Hutchins has too many employees, district officials say, and its overflowing staffing is largely to blame for the district’s ongoing financial crisis. But those same officials also say the district doesn’t have enough teachers to fill its classrooms and meet state class-size requirements. It’s the latest in a […]