Redesigning Accountability Systems For Education

In Redesigning Accountability Systems for Education, Susan H. Fuhrman, dean of the graduate school of education at the University of Pennsylvania, and Richard F. Elmore, a professor at Harvard, provide clear guidance for those of us who must navigate the current accountability systems.
To that end, Fuhrman and Elmore present practical direction through the myriad issues of accountability system design, the effects of accountability systems and recommendations for refining these systems to accomplish the intended results of accountability. Through the contributions of several academics, researchers and policy analysts, the authors articulately debate the strengths and limitations of current accountability systems.
The authors make a special point of exposing the disconnect between education policy and practice. They see an absence of a clear, focused "theory of action" by policymakers in addressing the inclusion of special-needs students in all phases of the school day and the effects of testing on daily instruction.
Additionally, educational leaders and policymakers must seek ways to measure the daily effects of engagement by teachers with students, the application of effective and efficient pedagogical knowledge and skill, a thorough understanding of curriculum and a demonstrated knowledge of what motivates and achieves student and teacher efficacy.