What is the Value of Public School Accountability? (original) (raw)

Toward a Framework for Public Accountability in Education Reform

Educational Researcher, 2020

Public accountability through information disclosure is a pillar of modern education reform efforts. Despite the ubiquity of this approach, we argue that public accountability in education is undertheorized and often predictably unlikely to achieve its intended policy goals. Drawing on examples from an equity-oriented court case in California and the literatures on democratic engagement and parent use of school performance data, we propose a framework for thinking about the design of public accountability systems in education. The framework could provide guidance for policymakers considering new efforts at improving schools through the production and dissemination of educational data.

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Toward a Framework for Public Accountability in Education Reform Cover Page

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Looking across the States: Perspectives on School Accountability Cover Page

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Accountability (Battleground Schools, 2008) Cover Page

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High-Stakes Hustle: Public Schools and the New Billion Dollar Accountability Cover Page

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Trujillo, T. & Howe, K. (2015). Weighing the effects of federal educational policy on democracy: Reframing the discourse on high-stakes accountability. Teachers College Record, 117(6). Cover Page

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Chapter 2 The Press From Above, the Pull From Below: High School Responses to External Accountability Cover Page

"Superintendents’ Recommendations for a New Federal Framework for Educational Accountability" by S. Dallas Dance

The members of the Large Countywide and Suburban District Consortium—a group of large, highly diverse, and successful districts across the country—have made great strides in achieving college and career readiness for all students. While they are succeeding, the consortium proposes that more could be done to accomplish their objectives through collaboration with Congress to establish federal policy and laws aligned with practices that foster college and career ready outcomes at scale. This article, introduced by Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent S. Dallas Dance, proposes the critical principles that should undergird a new federal approach to state and district accountability.

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"Superintendents’ Recommendations for a New Federal Framework for Educational Accountability" by S. Dallas Dance Cover Page

Predictable Failure of Federal Sanctions-Driven Accountability for School Improvement--And Why We May Retain It Anyway

Educational Researcher, 2009

The federal accountability system, made universal through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, is a system driven by quotas and sanctions, stipulating the progression of underperforming schools through sanctions based on meeting performance quotas for specific demographic groups. The authors examine whether the current federal accountability system is likely to succeed or fail, by asking, Does the sanctions-driven accountability system work? Is it practical? And is it legitimate among those who must implement it? The authors argue that even though sanctions-driven accountability may fail on practical outcomes, it may be retained for its secondary benefits and because there is a sense that credible policy alternatives are lacking. They conclude by proposing alternative policies and approaches to the current system.

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Predictable Failure of Federal Sanctions-Driven Accountability for School Improvement--And Why We May Retain It Anyway Cover Page

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Mintrop, H. & Trujillo, T. (2007). The practical relevance of accountability systems for school improvement: A descriptive analysis of California schools. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 29(4), pp. 319-352. Cover Page

Dance, S. (2015). Superintendents’ Recommendations for a New Federal Framework for Educational Accountability. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 23, 10.

The members of the Large Countywide and Suburban District Consortium—a group of large, highly diverse, and successful districts across the country—have made great strides in achieving college and career readiness for all students. While they are succeeding, the consortium proposes that more could be done to accomplish their objectives through collaboration with Congress to establish federal policy and laws aligned with practices that foster college and career ready outcomes at scale. This article, introduced by Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent S. Dallas Dance, proposes the critical principles that should undergird a new federal approach to state and district accountability.

Free PDF

Dance, S. (2015). Superintendents’ Recommendations for a New Federal Framework for Educational Accountability. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 23, 10.  Cover Page