On the suspicion behind high test scores in a Charleston school

It's rather sad, reading article like this one, on a previously struggling school in a predominantly poor, black neighborhood, to suddenly becoming a high performing school and high test scores. Praises were consistent from all quarters (students, parents, school workers, teachers, the walks) that the principal under cloud (who herself reassigned before bad news started coming in).

America, as a country, has become rather politically correct, in avoiding hurt feelings, all in the hope of lifting children in poor neighborhood in academic standards. I won't doubt that there are bright kids amongst them, but lowering the standards, or letting them pass with flying colors fraudulently in order to make the kids feel good about themselves, are not the way to go. As it is, when these kids eventually move onto other schools, they would find themselves struggling and wouldn't even know why or how to improve themselves.

I have little doubts that this principal did something unseemly to boost the test scores, and that she did it on good intentions. But it does not do the kids (or anyone who works to help them) any good if these kids do not know what area(s) they need improvement on, or how to go about it. This now-former principal did a great disservice to the kids and her community. Perhaps if she had run a community center, rather than a school, she could have achieved her purpose of helping the neighborhood, without ruining the kids chances further (since the further you delay bringing the kids up to speed academically, the harder it is for them to catch up).

The whole thing is just so sad...