This paper focuses on the challenges that states face as they implement the accountability provisions of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, particularly those related to the identification and assistance of schools in need of improvement. Studies are underway that examine the implementation of some NCLB sanctions, such as the supplemental…

The most recent federal effort to produce substantial improvement in student achievement scores, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), requires states and districts to ensure that all students are performing at proficient levels in reading and mathematics by the 2013-2014 school year. NCLB requires that each state and district have a single accountability…

This book presents the perspectives of experts from the fields of history, economics, political science, and psychology on what is known about accountability, what still needs to be learned, what should be done right now, and what should be avoided in devising accountability systems. The common myths about accountability are dispelled and how it…

Inclusive assessment and accountability for all students with disabilities has been a significant focus of educators for the past six years. Yet only 35 states reported 1999-2000 test results for students with disabilities on some of their state assessments. Although the areas of assessment and accountability are just one focus of IDEA 1997 and…

Provides an overview of the recently developed state accountability system for public elementary and secondary schools in Rhode Island. Discusses accountability systems as technologies of social control and considers the costs, benefits, uncertainties, and necessary tensions associated with accountability systems. (Author/SLD)

For too long teachers have been forced into a defensive posture, protecting their professionalism and their students' learning from the accountability hawks who know little about teaching and learning, the author asserts. In this article, the author details how Nebraska educators have turned the tables on accountability by placing utmost…

The 1999 Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA) created a system for summarizing performance on state standardized tests and an intervention program to help schools that were not meeting state-set goals. California's test scores have improved substantially since then, but state-led interventions programs have had little overall effect on this…

This report recommends to the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education initiatives to improve the management, information systems, and accountability of Louisiana's postsecondary vocational-technical system. Part I summarizes reforms in management of the vocational-technical education system needed to respond to economic and fiscal…

The need for goals in postsecondary and higher education is discussed. It is suggested that the development of statewide goals can serve as a means of making postsecondary education accountable to the public without resort to increased control and regulation. The process being used in Georgia to develop statewide goals for postsecondary education,…

To promote and assist the development of quality state and local occupational education programs, and to help assure accountability of federal and state funds allocated to local programs, the Illinois Division of Vocational and Technical Education launched a 3-phase evaluation study of its existing system. Visitations were made to 71 Local…

This report presents an evaluation of Florida's Blind Babies Program, which provides community-based, early intervention education to visually impaired or blind children from birth through age 5 and to their parents, families, and caregivers. The evaluation found that: (1) the Division of Blind Services had not developed an adequate accountability…

The objectives of this paper are threefold. First, a model is proposed for unifying massive amounts of conceptual and numerical information flowing from the measures of the accountability movement in Ohio and the materials that are publicly available to educators. Second, this model is translated into useable forms of information that help…

The future of public education changed forever in the United States when "A Nation at Risk" was published in 1983. This report warned educators from coast to coast that America was on the brink of losing its top-ranked position internationally because "others" were "matching and surpassing their educational…

A recent report published by the National Center on Performance Incentives (NCPI) presents findings from the second-year of a multi-year evaluation of the Texas Educator Excellence Grant (TEEG) program, a statewide educator incentive program that operated in Texas. As part of this larger study, evaluators examined how participation in the TEEG…

This bimonthly newsletter provides information about the progress of the Honor States Grant Program, a governor-led effort to improve college--and work-ready graduation rates. This issue explores how effective education governance can support innovative state policy development, successful policy implementation, and a redesigned high school…