Do as We Say, Not as We Do

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Teachers and administrators should be outraged. We certainly are.

Federal prosecutors in Memphis this week indicted 14 people, mostly educators, for their alleged efforts to cheat on teacher certification tests in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.

The tests, called Praxis Exams, are used to qualify teachers for classroom teaching assignments, and test-takers supposedly paid a former Memphis educator to arrange test-takers to pass the exams for them. Prosecutors say that the cheating ring has been operating since 1995.

And to make matters worse, the tests are not hard. As Sarah Almy, director of teacher quality at the Washington-based Education Trust, told The New York Times, "These are pretty basic tests.

"The fact that there were folks who felt like they needed to bring somebody else in in order to meet a very basic level of content knowledge is disturbing, in particular for the kids those teachers are going to wind up teaching."

The indictments came just days after the Josephson Institute of Ethics released its biennial survey of student behavior, reporting that fewer teenagers were cheating; 51 percent of students reported cheating on an exam versus 59 percent in 2010; and 55 percent of teenagers said they lied to teacher, down from 61 percent in 2010.

It was the first time in more than a decade that the survey showed a decline in cheating, lying and stealing by teenagers. (Josephson sponsors character education programs.)

It is a sad reflection when it is "good news" that only half of students report they cheat. It is hard to make this revelation an observation on the glass being half-full. Though the Josephson report has a glimmer of good news, most other reports of student behavior are chilling, with the increased use of technology blurring students' already dim understanding of what constitutes cheating.

The amount of plagiarism, copying and unauthorized help from parents continues to climb. A startling insight from the studies on academic dishonesty is that the overwhelming majority of students (and parents) have never seen school policies on cheating.

The Nashville Metro Schools policy on academic dishonesty is: "MNPS expects all students to abide by ethical academic standards. Academic dishonesty - including plagiarism, cheating or copying the work of another, using technology for illicit purposes, or any unauthorized communication between students for the purpose of gaining advantage during an examination - is strictly prohibited.

"This provision covers all school- related tests, quizzes, reports, class assignments and projects, both in and out of class.

"The determination that a student has engaged in academic dishonesty shall be based on specific evidence provided by the classroom teacher or other supervising professional employee, taking into consideration written materials, observation, or information from others. Students found to have engaged in academic dishonesty may be subject to an academic penalty." (Grading Procedures, page 10)

Academic dishonesty from students is deplorable, but cheating by teachers is despicable.

It breeds the worst kind of hypocrisy, and undermines our confidence in the system.

Frank Daniels III, part owner of The Pilot and cousin of Pilot Publisher David Woronoff, is the community engagement editor of The Nashville Tennessean. Contact him at fdanielsiii@tennessean.com.

More like this story

JimHeim 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Why are you so outraged? Teachers are not the only ones who cheat to save their jobs. Have you not been paying attention to Wall Street bankers, who cratered our economy to keep their multi-million dollar incomes?

The fact is that poverty is the number one cause of student failure and teachers have no control over that. If you teach in an affluent school you'll look good. In a poor one, your job is on the line and you have no say in the matter.

The other major factor is pre-school education, which this state does not fund. That leaves teachers in the lurch.

Do you want integrity in eduction. Then start paying for it. Establish universal pre-school. And tell Congress Americans need decent paying jobs. Only then will teachers be the primary contributors toward educational goals.

Until then they are just scapegoats and will cheat to save their jobs. You would too.

pgericson 5 months, 2 weeks ago

I believe the exams in question are used to qualify individuals for teaching positions: if you don't score high enough than you cannot qualify for a teaching position. The people who were caught cheating were trying to become teachers. The sad part is that some college graduates in teaching programs cannot pass this basic test.

njc17 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Mr Hein; do you suggest that we are not throwing enough money at it? are you saying that to solve problems you just throw money at it? Are you, then, condoning this sort of practice for those who teach our children? I agree with you on one item, others do it. We seem to be in a culture of using any means necessary to get ahead. From cadet cheating in military academies, to cheating on business books, I have seen cheating in the construction industry, manufacturing industries, we all see cheating in government local, state and federal. What a legacywe are leaving our children.

fugitiveguy 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Jim is defending this? I am shocked!

njc17 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Well my point, backhanded as it was , is you can't keep throwing money at a problem. You FIX the problem. If colleges and universities are turning out bad teachers, teachers that cannot pass simple qualification tests, then it is time to rethink the university system.Rethink the education of teacher system, and reevaluate teacher prospects. If a teacher can't pass the qualification test, then they cannot teach. Simple as that. Throwing money at school systems only exacerbatesthe problem.

JimHeim 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Sorry but when Wall Streeters and mortgage fraudsters can crater our economy with impunity, it seems overkill to spend 'outrage' on would-be teachers. It's a matter of scale. Small fry get burned and the big fish swim away.

Considering that this has been going on for seventeen years no one noticed problems with the ones who faked the test, I'd say it doesn't tell us a lot.

The_AnonymusProfit 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Universal pre school, how we gonna pay for that one Jimmy? More taxes on the rich or more borrowed money from China?

Middleman522 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Just how much trust can you put in anything so heavily controlled by UNIONS? They borrowed money from a Union Bank to run ads for their boy Oblaima. They are breaking almost every city and industry, and rigging every election that means anything to them. Control Freaks gone wild. Have you listened to Hoffa lately. They are a training ground for progressives in our public schools. And it needs to be stopped. When our schools are completely broken, we can turn them over to the UNIONS to run just like GM and Chrysler! Just keep voting their buddies into office!! And Heim, check out Fannie and Freddie with Clinton marching orders if you want mortgage crooks!! Look up an article in NYTimes Sept. 30, 1999 about Clinton and Fannie! Read it for a change!!