Thompson: D.C. Scandal Shows Why We Still Need Checks and Balances

Perhaps the defining characteristic of this generation of young accountability hawks is their impatience with institutions that slow their righteous crusade to transform schools.  For instance, the main idea of mayoral control of schools in D.C. and elsewhere is to remove obstacles to "reform." USA Today's analysis of possible cheating in D.C. schools reveals a system that was oblivious to the need for checks and balances.  Firstly, D.C. claimed that its internal investigation of testing irregularities was adequate.  Then, members of the State Board of Education were kept in the dark about the findings of outside investigators.  The district created an environment where students' and teachers' concerns were ignored, and it lived up to its reputation of disrepecting parents. The District alone decided what newspaper stories were worthy, as it stonewalled other investigations.  It only cooperated with "the fourth branch of government" when it made them look good. Our constitutional democracy can be slow, but the Washington Post reports that now there will be independent investigations.- JT (@drjohnthompson) Image via.