Top 10 quotes from Davenport schools cheating scandal

By   /  May 22, 2013  /  Iowa, Uncategorized  /  No Comments

Madison Elementary School exams were widely tampered with to boost scores.

By Sheena Dooley | Iowa Watchdog

DES MOINES – Iowa leaders have taken over an investigation into the state’s first publicly reported case of cheating on the standardized tests that determine the overall performance of schools.

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Iowa withholds student cheating documents

By   /  May 21, 2013  /  Iowa  /  No Comments

Madison

By Sheena Dooley | Iowa Watchdog

DES MOINES – Officials with the Iowa Department of Education say they won’t release any information related to the student cheating in the Davenport School District.

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Special interests drive Iowa education reforms

By   /  May 10, 2013  /  Accountability, Education, Ethics, Featured, Iowa, Issues, Lobbying, News, State Lobbying  /  1 Comment

federal aid

By Tushar Rae | Iowa Watchdog contributor

DES MOINES – Good intentions aren’t the only driving force behind Iowa’s education reform efforts.

State education agencies, special interest groups and for-profit education companies have spent thousands in 2012 and 2013 to hire lobbyists and pad the pockets of lawmakers who sit on key committees.

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Lawmakers’ families bring home big perks

By   /  May 8, 2013  /  Featured, Federal Government, Iowa, News, Power Abuse  /  2 Comments

Farm subsidies equal big money for relatives of Iowa's members of Congress.

By Sheena Dooley | Iowa Watchdog
DES MOINES – Family members and close friends of Iowa‘s Congressional Delegation benefit from their relative’s position, whether it be through securing special one-time funding for an alma mater or hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay a lawmaker’s son for working on his campaign, a review federal records shows.
Take [...]

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Court orders Des Moines board to turn over closed-session tape

By   /  May 3, 2013  /  Iowa, News  /  No Comments

Judge rules in favor of former board member, demands Des Moines school district hand over materials from closed session.

By Sheena Dooley | Iowa Watchdog
A Polk County judge Friday agreed to review the tape of a closed-door meeting held by the Des Moines School Board in regards to former Superintendent Nancy Sebring’s controversial departure.
Graham Gillette, a former school board member, brought a lawsuit against the district last year requesting that a judge review the [...]

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