The Atlanta Public Schools teacher-cheating scandal is beyond appalling — yet educational. It's a textbook case of the unintended consequences of government interventionism — the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law.
An 800-page report obtained by The Associated Press from Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal's office via an open-records request says educators at dozens of elementary and middle schools cheated by helping students taking standardized tests or changing their answers afterward — and ignored or retaliated against whistleblowers.
Pressure to avoid NCLB sanctions by meeting test-score standards motivated the cheating. Premised on an absurdity — government can force high achievement by all students — NCLB perversely incentivizes such cheating as it flouts an age-old truth: Some children just learn better than others.
The attorney for Beverly Hall, who retired June 30 as superintendent, denies she knew or should have known about the cheating. She and other accused "educheaters" deservedly face possible prosecution and suspension or revocation of state teaching licenses.
This Atlanta scandal — the biggest yet of its kind — should convince Congress to repeal NCLB, which encourages gaming a system doomed from its outset to fail.
