D.C. schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson made a brilliant move this week when she referred alleged instances of doctoring standardized test results to the Office of Inspector General — for there it will die. D.C.’s Inspector General Charles Willoughby is afraid of inserting himself into politically charged matters, a former local law enforcement official told me. Willoughby’s “investigators” are glorified accountants. At best, they will confirm existing probes by contractors who counted the number of erasures in the tests, but didn’t find anything conspiratorial or criminal.
Compare that to what’s taking place in Georgia. Similar questions were raised by high erasure rates in tests, but the matter was referred to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Fifty agents began questioning teachers and principals in a criminal investigation, which might lead to charges.
