A report into allegations of inflated graduation rates at a Washington, D.C., school showed 113 students graduated last year, even though they did not meet the graduation requirements.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Public Schools chancellor Antwan Wilson released the initial results of the study on Tuesday. The report, conducted by an independent auditing firm, found the principal of Ballou High School, Dr. Yetunde Reeves, and at least one assistant principal pressured teachers into giving students passing grades, regardless of whether they did the work.
In light of the report, Bowser said they are moving to fire Reeves. The former principal at Ballou was assigned to another function in the district in early December, and Willie Jackson was named to serve as acting principal.
The report also found flaws in how student attendance was tracked and enforced at the high school.
In a broader look, the report said DCPS neighborhood schools have very high levels of absenteeism, and an increasing number of extremely absent students have graduated in recent years. The report showed charter schools and DCPS selective high schools have lower levels of absenteeism and lower levels of graduates with high absenteeism.
An investigation by WAMU and NPR showed only 57 of the 164 students at Ballou High School who received diplomas were on track to graduate. Half of the 2017 graduates were counted as absent for more than three months of the school year but were allowed to graduate anyway, the investigation showed.
D.C. councilmember David Grosso, who chairs the education committee, said he expected more principals at other schools to be fired as well.
