Leadership in the Context of Conflict: A Response to Implied Allegations of Cheating

Abstract

In December 2004, the Amarillo Globe Newsreported on a Dallas Morning News story that analyzed state-mandated test scores from across Texas (Benton & Hacker, 2004; Wilson, 2004). According the Amarillo Globe News, the Dallas Morning News study implicated Sunrise Elementary School, in Amarillo, Texas, by labeling their Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills scores as “unusual.” The Amarillo Globe News noted that Sunrise, a Title I elementary school, placed 6th of roughly 3,000 schools in the state on the fifth-grade math test. The study further implied that those scores were reflective of cheating. The current article is a reflection on the leadership response to the implied allegations. The district’s superintendent, Rod Schroder, investigated the allegations and then tenaciously defended his district, teachers, and students.