In its March 23 issue, Education Week published a story under the headline: “Louisville Gheens Academy Under Fire for Spending Practices.’' The story was accompanied by a photograph of Phillip C. Schlechty and a caption stating that Mr. Schlechty “acknowledges the management of Gheens may have been ‘sloppy’ at times.’' His comment and photo were included because he helped create the academy in Louisville, Ky., and was its first director.
Although the story was factually correct, Mr. Schlechty subsequently expressed his concern that the juxtaposition of the headline, his photo, and the caption could be misconstrued by people who did not read the entire story. Education Week published a clarification in its March 30 issue.
Mr. Schlechty recently informed us that some people opposed to projects in which he is involved have used the original article to question his integrity, which in turn could jeopardize his current work as the president of the Louisville-based Center for Leadership in School Reform and his efforts to raise funds for the center.
In light of that, Education Week willingly publishes this clarification, emphasizing that Mr. Schlechty has not been formally associated with the Gheens Academy since 1987 and was not involved in the events reported in the original story.
We apologize to Mr. Schlechty and our readers for any misunderstandings that may have resulted from our presentation of headline, photograph, and caption.--THE EDITORS
