Massive cheating scheme for elite college admissions, via ACT testing and fake athletic recruiting

A criminal organization & conspiracy that wide over that many years...wonder how it was able to exist for so long...& how were the feds put on to it.
 
Wishful said:
A criminal organization & conspiracy that wide over that many years...wonder how it was able to exist for so long...& how were the feds put on to it.
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The Feds have been onto the ringleader for some time. Could be somebody got audited for taking a charitable deduction to the phony charitable organization he set up to receive the funds, which cynically purported to help underprivileged children.
 
That guy Singer has a lot of...what do the kids say "He has no shame in his game."
 
In the original indictment press conference, they address how they were turned to it. I don’t recall the details, but it was ‘by accident’. A result of some other thing entirely.

If you haven’t watched, it’s pretty interesting. The disdain oozes from the DA.
 
Devil Doc said:
It's hard to imagine how this happens. My school district has a magnet school that is ranked at or near the top annually and people whisper that students/parents cheat on the admissions requirements. If they are cheating, then the school is letting them skate through the four years. The numbers say otherwise. The graduation rate and college acceptance rate is 100 percent. Big name colleges. The average SAT is near perfect. A few years ago the admissions department was forced to open up seats in the name of diversity. The under-qualified kids were eaten alive. Apparently the faculty were not told to drop standards. I just checked their current demographics which shows 68 percent Asian, 21 percent white, and less than two percent black and Hispanic. The other indicator of success is the free and reduced meals and fees is less than two percent. Those of lesser means do not perform as well in school.

I finished my M.Ed. a few months ago and wrote a few papers which included demographics, low income students, English Learners, and the effect on learning in a general education classroom. A goal of administrators every year is to narrow the achievement gap. That's a noble goal of course, but when the methods of narrowing the gap include bringing the top performers closer to the lower performers instead of bringing the lower ones up, something else must be figured out. It's difficult these days to talk about that without somebody invoking Brown v. Board, but I believe the system must change to where the hard chargers take one path and those less qualified take a path with less rigorous academics. Students would still have equal opportunity to excel in their journey through high school. Pressure would be taken off educators to slow down instruction in order to bring along the slower students. An alternative path to four years of high school might be at grade 10 when students go the vocational route and learn a trade. After two years, the student graduates with a high school diploma and continues learning the trade in a journeyman program and receive pay and benefits. The student who took the academic path is better prepared for college since he/she sat in classes with rigorous instruction.

I teach in career and technical education, formerly vocational education, and that type of student has kept me employed for 12 years. Most of my students though will not go to college, yet they are required to sit through four years of math, English, and social sciences. Anyway, speaking of students, I am at work. Rant off.
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I love your idea. Technical vocations are just as important.
 
Devil Doc said:
A goal of administrators every year is to narrow the achievement gap. That's a noble goal of course, but when the methods of narrowing the gap include bringing the top performers closer to the lower performers instead of bringing the lower ones up, something else must be figured out. It's difficult these days to talk about that without somebody invoking Brown v. Board, but I believe the system must change to where the hard chargers take one path and those less qualified take a path with less rigorous academics
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Perhaps off topic for this thread, but I agree 100%. The education system is messed up...holding the really talented kids down, and artificially propping up those with those with less ability. Brown v. Bd of Ed doesn't require equal results, just equal opportunity.


P_N said:
I love your idea. Technical vocations are just as important.
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Actually not a new idea, that's the way I remember it when I was a kid -- we had high track and low track programs. Many European countries have similar programs , at some point (in the middle of what we call High School), students are divided into "college track" and vocations.

No question, Technical Vocations are important. Manufacturer's and Contractors are having trouble finding manpower. There are great career opportunities and futures in technical training.
 
Old Navy BGO said:
Actually not a new idea, that's the way I remember it when I was a kid -- we had high track and low track programs. Many European countries have similar programs , at some point (in the middle of what we call High School), students are divided into "college track" and vocations.
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I'd like to be a fly on the wall when the guidance counselor at Upper Middle Class Suburban High tells the Cardiologist and spouse that junior should be on the low track.

There is a lot of hand wringing about entitled youth. Not so much about entitled parents.
 
Old Navy BGO said:
Devil Doc said:
A goal of administrators every year is to narrow the achievement gap. That's a noble goal of course, but when the methods of narrowing the gap include bringing the top performers closer to the lower performers instead of bringing the lower ones up, something else must be figured out. It's difficult these days to talk about that without somebody invoking Brown v. Board, but I believe the system must change to where the hard chargers take one path and those less qualified take a path with less rigorous academics
Click to expand...

Perhaps off topic for this thread, but I agree 100%. The education system is messed up...holding the really talented kids down, and artificially propping up those with those with less ability. Brown v. Bd of Ed doesn't require equal results, just equal opportunity.


P_N said:
I love your idea. Technical vocations are just as important.
Click to expand...
Actually not a new idea, that's the way I remember it when I was a kid -- we had high track and low track programs. Many European countries have similar programs , at some point (in the middle of what we call High School), students are divided into "college track" and vocations.

No question, Technical Vocations are important. Manufacturer's and Contractors are having trouble finding manpower. There are great career opportunities and futures in technical training.
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Is my entire post off topic or just the few words you quoted? I was on a roll. Also, I never claimed to have a new idea but just stated what I thought we should do in US education today. The taxpayer is funding 12 years of expensive babysitting with minimal ROI. The inclusiveness requirement these days has no room for the conversation that might put students in pardon the pun, classes. Cheating to get into elite colleges starts long before they get to college. That’s the point of view from where I come; a mere high school teacher.
 
cb7893 said:
Old Navy BGO said:
Actually not a new idea, that's the way I remember it when I was a kid -- we had high track and low track programs. Many European countries have similar programs , at some point (in the middle of what we call High School), students are divided into "college track" and vocations.
Click to expand...

I'd like to be a fly on the wall when the guidance counselor at Upper Middle Class Suburban High tells the Cardiologist and spouse that junior should be on the low track.

There is a lot of hand wringing about entitled youth. Not so much about entitled parents.
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The same goes for many other parents of lesser means who get all butt-hurt when Little Darling isn’t qualified to get in AP/IB courses. The same for SPED. More special group students are placed in main stream classes every year, yet are mandated to narrow the achievement gap.
 
Devil Doc said:
Is my entire post off topic or just the few words you quoted?
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Devil Doc...certainly not being critical, just a segue for my comments, which aren't exactly related to the celebrity admissions scandal (which incidentally, I am not following since anything celebrity related is really low on my give a sh!t list). I was really trying to say I agree 100% with your original statement, as well as the follow up. However, you aren't a "mere high school teacher" - you bring a bit of real life experience and perspective that is seriously lacking with most high school teachers.

cb7893 said:
I'd like to be a fly on the wall when the guidance counselor at Upper Middle Class Suburban High tells the Cardiologist and spouse that junior should be on the low track
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.

It will never happen, and that's part of the problem. Most guidance counselors are really cheerleaders, telling Mommy and Daddy how wonderful little Timmy is , and how they are destined to go to Ivy schools or Service Academies,etc. when they have low SAT/ACT's etc., or have great grades but not leadership and activities. Then Mom and Dad are shocked when they don't get in.
 
My children go (or have gone) to urban public high schools where over 50% of the student body are on free and reduced lunch and english is not their first language. It's an interesting mix - new immigrants and upper middle class white kids. How do you adequately serve both? About 10 years ago, the decision was made to offer the IB program in all of our district's high schools and to make all classes (AP, IB etc.) open to any student (they don't have to be in a program). They also offer remedial classes, English as a second language classes, and some of what we used to call "vocational training" classes. Our schools do not have facilities that are anything like the suburban schools but we spend more per student than any other district in the state (and as a state, we are upper near the top nation-wide). We have to spend more because of this mix. It has its issues but it works pretty well (we complain and it needs to get better, but it does work for all parties concerned). If you are a high achiever, there is a path. If you need more help, it's there in many forms, including district-sponsored ACT prep. ACT scores are going up in every demographic category in recent years.

I sometimes complain that my children aren't getting their fair share of the education pie but that really is disingenuous of me - the schools have done very well for our kids. Our kids have benefited from growing up in a household with highly educated parents who read to them at an early age and took them to science museums, etc. - and have always had high expectations.

I don't believe that their should be a two-tier education program. I believe you can do a lot to help more disadvantaged kids rise to their potential and continue to push those who started life with a head start. My sons have benefited greatly from being immersed in in the IB program but at the same time being part of a school that serves everyone. FWIW, in our city we have a great system of 2-year vocational training colleges and there is zero stigma for going that route out of high school. DS's good friend from Boy Scouts is studying to become an electrician (and getting paid to go to school!).
 
Old Navy BGO said:
Devil Doc said:
Is my entire post off topic or just the few words you quoted?
Click to expand...

Devil Doc...certainly not being critical, just a segue for my comments, which aren't exactly related to the celebrity admissions scandal (which incidentally, I am not following since anything celebrity related is really low on my give a sh!t list). I was really trying to say I agree 100% with your original statement, as well as the follow up. However, you aren't a "mere high school teacher" - you bring a bit of real life experience and perspective that is seriously lacking with most high school teachers.

cb7893 said:
I'd like to be a fly on the wall when the guidance counselor at Upper Middle Class Suburban High tells the Cardiologist and spouse that junior should be on the low track
Click to expand...
.

It will never happen, and that's part of the problem. Most guidance counselors are really cheerleaders, telling Mommy and Daddy how wonderful little Timmy is , and how they are destined to go to Ivy schools or Service Academies,etc. when they have low SAT/ACT's etc., or have great grades but not leadership and activities. Then Mom and Dad are shocked when they don't get in.
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I didn’t take it as being criticism but just wanted to clarify I guess. I’m home sick today and should be sleeping but can’t go to sleep. I’m catching up on NCIS episodes so that’s a bonus.
 
ders_dad said:
My children go (or have gone) to urban public high schools where over 50% of the student body are on free and reduced lunch and english is not their first language. It's an interesting mix - new immigrants and upper middle class white kids. How do you adequately serve both? About 10 years ago, the decision was made to offer the IB program in all of our district's high schools and to make all classes (AP, IB etc.) open to any student (they don't have to be in a program). They also offer remedial classes, English as a second language classes, and some of what we used to call "vocational training" classes. Our schools do not have facilities that are anything like the suburban schools but we spend more per student than any other district in the state (and as a state, we are upper near the top nation-wide). We have to spend more because of this mix. It has its issues but it works pretty well (we complain and it needs to get better, but it does work for all parties concerned). If you are a high achiever, there is a path. If you need more help, it's there in many forms, including district-sponsored ACT prep. ACT scores are going up in every demographic category in recent years.

I sometimes complain that my children aren't getting their fair share of the education pie but that really is disingenuous of me - the schools have done very well for our kids. Our kids have benefited from growing up in a household with highly educated parents who read to them at an early age and took them to science museums, etc. - and have always had high expectations.

I don't believe that their should be a two-tier education program. I believe you can do a lot to help more disadvantaged kids rise to their potential and continue to push those who started life with a head start. My sons have benefited greatly from being immersed in in the IB program but at the same time being part of a school that serves everyone. FWIW, in our city we have a great system of 2-year vocational training colleges and there is zero stigma for going that route out of high school. DS's good friend from Boy Scouts is studying to become an electrician (and getting paid to go to school!).
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My nephew is going that route (electrician program) and makes $35/hr as an apprentice. An apprentice!!!
 
@Devil Doc Aren't you close enough to go watch them train or something? Oh wait, that's FBI. NCIS trains somewhere in Georgia. I have agents living on each side of me. I've decided not to bother investing in a Ring door bell.
 
EDelahanty said:
Humey said:
EDelahanty said:
In his early years of high school, our son began to exhibit some disturbing signs which indicated that he might be a moron. I'll pass over the worst incidents, including those involving law enforcement, and simply note this was irrefutably confirmed when he was caught sleeping in the bed of his pick-up truck during study hall. My wife and I resigned ourselves to this dismal fact and vowed to love him no less than our other children. One day his SAT results arrived, and we gathered round to provide support. When he opened the envelope, we were stunned at first but then filled with immense pride - our son had become the first moron in the history our state to get an 800 on the College Boards.

In light of today's breaking news, it is apparent what really happened: Felicity Huffman took the SATs for him. Do we have to report this to Cadet Command?
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There is no connection between intelligence and common sense
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Thanks for the clarification, Captain Obvious
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You know the saying, the nut doesnt fall far from the tree
 
One of the students made a statement, apologizing. He didn’t know what his parents had done. Very sad.
 
ders_dad said:
. Our kids have benefited from growing up in a household with highly educated parents who read to them at an early age and took them to science museums, etc. - and have always had high expectations.
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And that is one, if not the biggest key to academic success. Sure, there are aptitude limitations, but the proper home environment where parents emphasize the importance of education and set the example themselves, and instill a strong work ethic, will usually overcome aptitude. (Hey, I'm the first to admit that I am not a rocket scientist ...but I worked hard and have done well academically and professionally). It was a wise man (my father) who always counseled that education begins at home.
 
merlin said:
Don’t mean to be disrespectful, but this is a sexist statement.
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You guys are so literal, at times it makes my head hurt. Ok, let’s throw in acTORS as well. Better? And have you ever worked with actors and actresses? I have, so I can speak from firsthand experience. And for what it’s worth, my entire household adores Mayim Bialik.
 
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