This speech assesses potential deterrents to the implementation of accountability in education. The author divides these deterrents into (1) philosophical-ideological; humanist-behaviorist conflicts, individuality versus "techno-urban fascism," and accountability systems tied to the achievement of cognitive objectives at the lower end of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives; (2) political-legal, governance problems and the legal capacity of a school board to contract for educational services; and (3) technological-economic, the lack of technologies and financial resources for defining, measuring, and producing learning outcomes. (JF)