The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "grade manipulation" ...
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Empty-desk epidemic
For years, Chicago officials published upbeat statistics that masked a crisis in the city's schools: Nearly 32,000 of the city's K-8 grade students — or roughly 1 in 8 —miss a month or more of class per year, while others simply vanish from school without a trace. This devastating pattern of absenteeism, which disproportionately affects African-Americans and children with disabilities, came to light only after Chicago Tribune reporters dug it out during a years-long FOIA battle to obtain internal district data.
Tags: K-12 education; schools; absenteesim; Chicago; statistics manipulation
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A Passing Offense
"The WFAA-TV series, "A Passing Offense," revealed a systematic problem inside the Dallas public schools in which athletic excellence was prized over academic success. Despite a statewide "No Pass, No Play" rule that required athletes to achieve passing academic scores to continue to play sports, the rule was often flouted to win championships."
Tags: academics; sports; grade manipulation; athletes; high school; test scores; FOIA
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Eligibility for Sale
An investigation by ESPN revealed how athletes in the revenue-producing sports of men's basketball and football get into college, even when they lack the "academic skills necessary to compete in the classroom... For all the talk about SAT fraud involving players who get others to take scores for them, the greater form of manipulation might be in the area of core classes, in which bogus grades are given to high school athletes in order to get them qualified for NCAA competition. ESPN's report focused on one tiny school in the Queens area of New York City where, it turns out, dozens of future college athletes have gone to get their NCAA eligibility. The school, Christopher Robin Academy, does not have any sports teams but virtually ever academically troubled basketball player in New York City in the past decade -- from former North Carolina star Ed Cota to current NBA player Lamar Odom -- has used this school as a backdoor route to college basketball. There's the regular high school they attend during the week, the one they win prep championships for... then there's Christopher Robin, which they quietly attend on Saturdays or during the summer to pick up valuable core-class credits with little or no work. ESPN exposed this scam and also showed that the for-profit, unaccredited school lies to the public about its credentials... And here's the best part: the NCAA has no problem with the situation. Fearful of lawsuits alleging that the NCAA has no right to pass judgment on the educational standards of any high school, the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse continues to accept credits and grades from Christopher Robin Academy."
Tags: NCAA; Christopher Robin Academy; grades; credits; sports; scam; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT