California is one of just two states (with Kansas) that does not use a student-level growth model to measure school performance. This brief lays out a number of common beliefs about growth models and provides evidence that these beliefs are inaccurate or unsupported. In so doing, the brief makes a positive case that the state should adopt such a…

Performance-based funding (PBF) is an important component of many states' higher education funding policies. A majority of U.S. states hold their public colleges accountable through the establishment of PBF indicators designed to boost student success. Recent national pushes for college student success, like the College Completion Agenda and the…

In the late-2000s, Washington, DC achieved national notoriety for its embrace of market accountability in public schools and support for a steadily expanding charter sector. At the same time, the DC government pursued a concerted effort to attract new residents and investment to the city, a project that bore fruit in the form of some of the…

Objective: This study at a US Native American-serving Nontribal Institution (NASNTI) deeply analyzed collegiate leadership's responses and experiences during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Elite interviews were conducted between April and June 2021 with the college president, provost, dean of student engagement, human…

Independent literacy work is a valuable opportunity for students to practice reading and writing skills, yet many elementary classrooms struggle with maintaining student focus and productivity during this time. This paper presents three evidence-based strategies--scaffolding supports, structured choice, and student-driven accountability--that were…

Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a transformative, learner-centered institution dedicated to student success that strategically serves Southwest Florida and beyond. The Accountability Plan is an annual report that is closely aligned with the Board of Governors' 2025 System Strategic Plan. This report enhances the System's commitment to…

The process of accreditation in higher education, which is the primary gatekeeper of federal financial aid dollars, is overdue for reform. The Trump administration has committed to using accreditation reform to overhaul the system of accountability for college and universities. An executive order in April 2025 indicated that among other changes,…

America today lacks a broad public and political consensus for dramatic improvements in the nation's K-12 schools. The country urgently needs a new vision that refocuses public schools on their core academic mission, ends the retreat from rigor and merit, increases opportunity for learners of all backgrounds, expands parental choice of public…

School accountability and improvement policy are on the precipice of a paradigm shift. While the multiple-measure dashboard accountability approach holds great promise for promoting more meaningful learning opportunities for all students, our research indicates that this can come with substantial challenges in practice. We reflect upon the lessons…

The purpose of this commentary is to describe recent efforts in Virginia to develop and use performance assessments, including the challenges that emerged during this process and key considerations for states that integrate performance assessment into their systems. Performance assessments can play an important role in preparing students for…

National large-scale assessments (NLSA) have spread rapidly since the 1990s, but contrary to arguments of diffusion theories, not every country with large-scale assessments develop test-based accountability (TBA). The diverse-case comparison presented in this article demonstrates that the interaction between global pressures and domestic policy…

For many years, the main approach to educational improvement has consisted of high-stakes testing and accountability. While this approach has achieved some success, it has also created negative outcomes including a narrowing of the curriculum, and an over-testing of students. Against this backdrop, there are examples of teachers that have…

This work considers challenges facing the classroom caring ideal that Nel Noddings' ethics of care theory exemplifies. It is evident that conditions of a neoliberal regime of accountability, a contested Common Core, and high stakes testing undermine the plausibility of this vaunted relation in the classroom. Along these lines, market logics…

Whether the relationship between policymaking and science has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic remains unclear. The success scientists have enjoyed in dealing with the virus and hopes they will develop a vaccine may increase the status of some experts whilst damaging populist anti-science sentiment. Some may call for increased…

Due to concerns about college affordability, in 2011, the Department of Education began producing two annual public lists of institutions with the highest change in tuition and fees and average net price within sector (top 5% and at least US$600 increase). This study investigates the effect of this low-stakes federal accountability tool on…