The Washington Post is carrying a fantastic story out of Pittsburg, Kansas, about a group of high school journalists who decided to look in to the background of Amy Robertson, newly hired on 6 March as their school Principal. She was brand new, no one had ever before heard of her, and they wanted to write a profile. Y’know, learn about her educational background, have a look at her credentials, fairly unremarkable run-of-the-mill stuff.
They kept coming up blank.
The university from where she obtained her master’s and doctorate degrees didn’t seem to exist. Transcripts verifying her undergraduate degree couldn’t be produced:
The student journalists had begun researching Robertson, and quickly found some discrepancies in her education credentials. For one, when they researched Corllins University, the private university where Robertson said she got her master’s and doctorate degrees years ago, the website didn’t work. They found no evidence that it was an accredited university.
“There were some things that just didn’t quite add up,” Balthazor told The Washington Post.
Fairly telling (to my jaundiced eye) was this Robertson quote from the Kansas City Star’s coverage of the story:
Robertson declined to comment directly on students’ questions about her credentials, saying, “I have no comment in response to the questions posed by PHS students regarding my credentials because their concerns are not based on facts.”
After three weeks of investigation, some working right through spring break, on 31 March the students published their story in the school newspaper, prompting the school board to question Robertson on the discrepancies.
Last night, less than a week after publication, “Dr.” Amy Robertson resigned [sarcastic air quotes mine]:
“In light of the issues that arose, Dr. Robertson felt it was in the best interest of the district to resign her position,” Pittsburg Community Schools announced in a statement. “The Board has agreed to accept her resignation.”
Mad props to these young people for sticking their noses where they weren’t wanted, as well as to their journalism adviser, Emily Smith, and the school superintendent, Destry Brown, for encouraging them to keep digging.
Oh, and for educators with genuine credentials: Pittsburg High School in Kansas has an immediate opening.