October 15, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
This month the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it is hiring John E. Deasy, the school superintendent in Prince George’s County, Md., to help lead its effort to improve America’s public schools.
Sherman Dorn, who writes about education policy on his blog, has concerns about the appointment.
On his blog, Mr. Dorn questioned the move given the current controversy surrounding Mr. Deasy’s academic credentials.
Last month the Courier-Journal, a Kentucky newspaper, reported that Mr. Deasy earned a Ph.D. from the University of Louisville in only one semester after helping to secure a grant to a research center run by the university’s former education dean.
The University of Louisville has said it is investigating the circumstances involving Mr. Deasy’s degree
According to The Gazette, a newspaper in Maryland, the lawyer for the former dean denied Mr. Deasy received his degree unfairly, saying that Mr. Deasy was allowed to earn his degree after one semester thanks to transfer credits from the University of Rhode Island, where he had studied previously.
To be sure, Mr. Deasy is recognized for helping public-school systems. According to The Washington Post, during the past school year, elementary and middle-school test scores in Prince George’s County improved in every grade level.
What do you think?
