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The cheating scandal that has rocked the Atlanta Public School system for the better part of five years is now coming to a close with nearly three dozen indictments against educators in the city. Now, those found guilty of myriad charges, from racketeering to making false charges, have been given a deadline to report for jail. Among those indicted is Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Beverly Hall, who received hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses directly tied to the “improvements” in standardized test scores.

A Long, Sordid Saga Comes to a Close

Suspicions of cheating throughout the Atlanta Public School system were first raised in 2008 by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. According to the , the publication ran a story questioning the “statistically improbable” test score improvements at one of the city’s elementary schools. The Journal Constitution followed up with other levels of suspicious test results at ten more schools throughout the city.

What evolved after those reports was a long and complex investigation launched by former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. Perdue put numerous state resources behind the study, assigning two state prosecutors and dozens of investigators to the task. The study took several years to complete and eventually told a sordid tale of teachers forced into test cheating by intense pressure coming from top officials in the district.

This video reports on the Atlanta Schools cheating scandal.

Dozens of Counts

In the traditional school, the curriculum is chosen by school board members and taught by faculty – usually standing in front of a classroom of students. Students can choose to engage in the lesson or not, but until now, they rarely have much say in what or how they learn. One high school in Massachusetts has set courses on a new learning adventure, where students choose the subjects and run the classroom as they see fit. Does it work? Let’s find out.

The Independent Project

recently reported on an innovative program taking place at Monument Mountain Regional High School in Massachusetts. The program, aptly dubbed the “Independent Project,” offers students a chance to determine how and what they study during school hours. The project was started by a student who became frustrated by seeing his friends lose interest in learning and stop trying to perform academically.

Sam Levin complained to his mother about the problem, who promptly suggested Levin start his own school. The high school student began with a garden on school property that was fully tended by students voluntarily. When Levin saw how readily students put forth effort on a project of their own, he decided to expand the garden concept to other aspects of the school experience.

This video discusses the student-driven concept of running Monument Mountain RHS in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

“I was seeing the

The third largest school district in the country is bracing for the closure of more than 50 schools at the end of the academic year. After months of debate and consideration, Chicago Public Schools have officially announced plans to close 54 schools inside the massive district. Eleven additional schools will be sharing space with other schools nearby. The announcement was greeted by anger, frustration, and even tears by some teachers, parents, and students, but district officials insist the move is necessary to help Chicago Public Schools balance a hurting budget.

This video reports on the impending closure of more than 50 Chicago schools.

Principals, Teachers, and Parents Given Official Closure Notices

The reports that principals of the schools slated for closure began receiving official notices on March 21. However, district officials remained mum about the plans until the end of that day. That is when Barbara Byrd-Bennett, chief officer for Chicago Public Schools, released a statement saying, “For too long children in certain parts of Chicago have been cheated out of the resources they need to succeed because they are in underutilized, under-resourced schools.”

reports that while the official closing list will not be released until March 31, parents also began receiving letters from their children’s schools about the closure plans. Most affected schools are located in neighborhoods where a large percentage of the student

Florida Schools: Canaveral Port Authority Assists Brevard County Schools

Brevard County Schools, one of the largest school districts in the country, is facing a financial crisis. That crisis has led them to consider closing three schools, which has also led to threats of civil rights lawsuits if the school closures come to fruition. Now, hope has come to Brevard County Schools in the ninth hour from an unlikely source - the Canaveral Port Authority.

Port Commissioner Offers $5 Million to Save Schools

The three Brevard schools on the chopping block are Gardendale South Lake Elementary and Clearlake Middle School. Florida Today reports that Port Commissioner Bruce Deardoff has proposed a $5 million donation to keep the three Brevard County schools open. The money would come directly from the port authority, currently sitting on a surplus of $52 million, with another $20 million expected from profits this year.

The money proposed by Deardoff would be enough to keep all three schools open for two more years. That would be sufficient time to see if voters approve a sales or property tax levy in 2014 to provide ongoing financial support for the schools. Deardoff calls the move a “no-brainer,” that would help Brevard schools at a time when they need it the most.

“In my three years at Port Canaveral, I have never voted on an issue which would do so much good for in the port district for so little money,” Deardoff stated at Florida

Success breeds popularity, but in Baltimore County Schools, that popularity can be more than school officials bargained for. Overcrowding has become a serious problem for many successful schools in this large county, leaving few options for a district that has little money in the budget for expansion. However, doing nothing is not viable either, as future projections show the problem growing rather than subsiding.

According to a recent report at the , 2012 enrollment for Baltimore County is 106,885 students. By 2020, that number is expected to jump to 111,488, with steady increases annually until that time. The report used Cohort Survival Methodology to make the predictions listed, assuming students will enroll through the grade levels sequentially. In addition, new housing construction in the area was considered as the projections were calculated.

Schools Deal with Tough Conditions

Overcrowding issues impact numerous schools throughout Baltimore County. The recently reported on three Maryland schools that are well over capacity; Hillcrest Elementary, Westchester Elementary, and Catonsville Elementary. Of the three, Hillcrest appears to be suffering the most right now, with a student body of 841 students in a building designed to hold just 666. Likewise, Westchester has an excess of 85 students over capacity, and Catonsville currently boasts 31 students over their capacity limit.

With nearly 200 students over capacity, Hillcrest faces a myriad of issues, from frequently stopping toilets to classes assembling in hallways. Lunch “hour” lasts almost