Educational Accountability Policies Research Articles

School Accountability and Student Social-Emotional Learning: Evidence From the OECD's Survey on Social and Emotional Skills

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of accountability mechanisms on the social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies of students in schools in Suzhou, China. Design/Approach/Methods The study utilized survey data from schools in Suzhou, China, to explore how various inspection schemes and accountability measures differentially influence students’ SEL competencies. The study employed multilevel statistical analysis to examine the relationship between accountability measures and SEL outcomes. Findings The study's results suggest that while some accountability measures are associated with improvements in certain SEL skills, most have no effect on or negatively impact SEL competencies. Originality/Value This study is one of the few existing studies on the impact of accountability mechanisms on SEL competencies in schools. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, organizational scholars, and practitioners. Notably, the findings challenge the assumption that accountability mechanisms necessarily improve educational outcomes and suggest the need for more nuanced approaches to educational accountability policies.

A Study of School Principals' Practices to Ensure Teacher Accountability for Curriculum Implementation in Ethiopian Primary Schools

This study investigates the curriculum implementation practices of principals in public elementary schools in East Wollega Zone, Ethiopia. Using an exploratory case study approach and a multiple case study research design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document review, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The results of the study confirm that principals prioritize holding teachers accountable for tasks other than curriculum implementation in the classroom. They pay insufficient attention to curriculum implementation while effectively managing subordinate accountability. The research reveals that stringent actions, such as removal from promotion and salary cuts, are imposed when teachers' performance in subordinate tasks declines. When teachers are present at schools, their shortcomings in implementing the curriculum are usually addressed by moving them to lower grades instead of imposing harsh punishments. In contrast, sanctions such as fines equivalent to three months' salary, demotion, and dismissal are reserved exclusively for violations of the teachers' code of ethics, not for performance issues in the classroom. Based on the findings, the study suggests that the government create a fresh educational accountability policy. This policy should motivate school principals to emphasize and strengthen accountability for executing the curriculum successfully.

Educational Accountability Policy for Sustainable Development: A Comparative Analysis across 30 Countries

This study aims to conduct a comparative analysis regarding Educational Accountability Policies (EAPs) across countries and empirically investigate the factors contributing to the variations in EAP implementation. To achieve these goals, firstly, this study investigated the status of EAP implementation by countries and endeavored to identify the trends regarding the diffusion and variation of EAP. Secondly, this study empirically analyzed the factors associated with variations in EAP implementation across countries. By employing country-level panel data from 30 countries, this study ascertained the status of EAP implementation as a global phenomenon. It examined the factors related to the adoption and intensity of EAP implementation based on the theoretical framework of the principal-agent model. This study has yielded two principal revelations. Firstly, there has been a rapid increase in the number of countries implementing EAP since the 2000s, accompanied by a bolstering of EAP implementation intensity. Nonetheless, there are discernible disparities in the adoption and implementation of EAP by countries. Secondly, this study has revealed that countries characterized by a more advanced economic status or an augmented governmental power tend to exhibit a proclivity for the adoption of EAP. Moreover, countries with a more advanced economic status, an augmented governmental power, or a higher degree of global openness are predisposed to implement EAP with greater intensity. These findings provide significant policy implications for sustainable development in education.

Enacting accountability reforms in Brazil: the mediating role of school leadership

This article aims to analyse the role of school leaders in mediating education accountability policies in Brazil. The study is framed by a sense-making and contingent leadership framework and is guided by a ‘realist evaluation’ methodological approach. The qualitative research conducted in four schools in Belo Horizonte shows that school leaders play a substantial role in mediating how school accountability reforms are received. They enact different roles, behaviours and practices, shaped by the sense-making and perception of accountability reforms and dependent upon three main contingent factors: leaders’ positional power and gender, socio-economic school composition and schools’ administrative dependency.

Policy and principal turnover: The impact of the Texas special education cap

Accountability policies in education play a significant role for the principals tasked with facilitating the implementation of these reforms at the school-level. While these policies are most often intended to improve student outcomes, this is not always the case. In some instances, these policies can prove detrimental to schools, yet principals are still responsible for compliance. In Texas, a federal investigation found the Texas Education Agency (TEA) was restricting access to special education services by incentivizing districts to enroll fewer than 8.5% of students, utilizing these numbers as a measure of district performance. The implementation of the “8.5% cap” in 2004 resulted in a sharp decline in special education enrollment. Employing a sample of all principals in Texas before and after the 2004 law, this paper examines how the 8.5% cap impacted school leader attrition during its implementation. Prior to the implementation of the cap in 2004, we find little association between the proportion of students receiving services and principal turnover. After its implementation however, we find that principals in schools enrolling more than 8.5% of students in special education had a .39 higher odds ratio of switching districts and a .14 higher odds ratio of exiting the profession. We conclude by highlighting the scarcity of school labor market research that accounts for state-level education policies and note that policy may be more associated with principal turnover than student characteristics themselves.

Merit Pay for Schoolteachers in Italy, 2015–2016: A New Regime of Education Accountability?

In 2015, a new performance-related pay scheme was introduced for schoolteachers in Italy as part of education accountability policies aimed at improving their performance. Beginning in that year, all Italian state school principals were offered the opportunity to distribute wage bonuses to deserving teachers. During the first year of implementation, 82 percent of the schools appointed ad hoc internal committees and distributed the bonuses, on average to one teacher out of three. A large majority of schools distributed the funds internally, choosing their own criteria for defining what merit was and how much it should be prized. Results suggest that merit pay was mostly uncorrelated to students’ achievements, although more than one round of application would be required for more rigorous tests. However, the article argues that the 2015 reform aligned the Italian system of evaluation and assessment with other international accountability policies.

Effective Teaching Strategies and Behaviors of Legal Translation Lecturers in Spain

Framed within the current accountability policies in higher education, under the strains of global competition and the internationalization of universities worldwide, this article examines effective teaching as a pillar of teaching quality in higher education among legal translation lecturers. By linking certain teaching and learning styles to the different dimensions of effective teaching (instructional, organizational, and emotional), the teaching profile of legal translation lecturers in Spain at undergraduate level is analyzed. In addition, student-centered teaching approaches are connected to the use of classroom strategies and methodological resources that characterize effective teaching. The findings of this study, obtained through the distribution of the tamufq questionnaire (Teaching and Assessment Methodology of University Faculty Questionnaire) among legal translation lecturers at undergraduate level in Spain, suggest that those lecturers who adopt a post-positivist approach in their classroom display a greater variety of teaching behaviors and strategies associated with both effective curriculum implementation and higher quality teaching than those who are closer to traditional, positivist approaches. These findings may be particularly useful in the design and implementation of continuous professional development courses and pedagogical training of lecturers.

Parental intervention in school, academic pressure, and childhood diagnoses of ADHD.

Childhood diagnoses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have increased dramatically in the U.S. in recent decades. Prior research has alluded to the possibility that high levels of parental intervention in school are associated with increased diagnoses of ADHD, but this relationship remains understudied. This study investigates: 1) whether the children of intervening parents are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD, and; 2) whether parental intervention moderates the extent to which children's pre-diagnosis behavioral problems and exposure to strict educational accountability policies predict ADHD diagnosis. Analyses of longitudinal, population-level data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort of 1998-99 (n=9,750) reveal that a standard deviation increase above the mean on parental intervention in school is associated with a 20% increase in the odds of ADHD diagnosis among elementary school children. This relationship is robust to differences in children's pre-diagnosis behavioral problems, academic achievement, parental knowledge of/exposure to ADHD, and school selection, and can arise because parents who intervene in school on average exhibit heightened sensitivity to behavioral problems and academic pressure from accountability-based educational policies. In light of prior work establishing both social class and racial/ethnic differences in parental intervention in school, this positive relationship between parental intervention in school and children's diagnoses of ADHD may carry important implications for the production of inequality in children's mental health and educational opportunities.

Desejo de performance na arena discursiva da desprofissionalização docente

O princípio da gestão democrática no sistema educacional brasileiro avança, discursivamente, mediante direcionamentos da Constituição Federal de 1988 e da Lei de Diretrizes e Bases n° 9.394/96, o que, de certo modo, movimenta re/configurações do trabalho docente. E é a partir desse contexto que repousa o presente estudo, tendo como interesse problematizar como o enfoque democrático/neoliberal e suas dissoluções de sentidos têm operado paralelamente à cultura da performatividade, delineando novos papéis e novos perfis para o trabalho docente. Para tanto, realizou-se uma pesquisa de cunho bibliográfico para subsidiar a discussão em torno das noções de trabalho, gestão e da arena discursiva global e local das políticas educacionais. Concluiu-se que, quando uma cultura performativa opera sobre o trabalho docente, desencadeiam-se sentidos de desprofissionalização, atrelados, sobretudo, a um processo de autonomia imaginada, o que poderá gerar maior controle e adesão por parte do professorado às políticas de responsabilização docente. Nesse sentido, o professor é peça fundamental para o funcionamento discursivo das políticas, haja vista o possível engajamento desse sujeito relacionado, tanto, ao desejo de performance, quanto, para delinear os rumos da recontextualização dessas políticas, as quais poderão conduzir ao sucesso e/ou fracasso escolares.

The instrumentation of global education reforms: an analysis of school autonomy with accountability policies in Spanish education

ABSTRACT This paper analyses, from the perspective of the political sociology of policy instruments, the adoption and re-contextualisation of School Autonomy with Accountability (SAWA) reforms in Spain, with a particular focus on the region of Madrid. Over the last few decades, Madrid has adopted a wide range of education policies that have contributed to consolidate a market-oriented approach in the governance of the educational system. This paper analyses the instrumentation and complex interaction between standardised tests, test-based accountability, school choice and school autonomy in advancing this governance shift. The main objective of the paper is twofold: first, to trace the policy trajectory of SAWA reforms in Spain and Madrid, and second, to identify the rationale of the reform and its related policy ontology in relation to the selection and articulation of different policy instruments as well as the governance implications of these choices. Methodologically, we have conducted a policy analysis case study, analysing data from a set of 35 original interviews with education policymakers and key policy actors, combined with document analysis. The results of our research show how the policy preferences of domestic political actors and the legacies of the politico-administrative regimes mediate the final form and uses of the SAWA policy instruments. These policy instruments can be conceptualised as ‘life objects’ whose development and uses are attached to context specific – and sometimes contradictory – political objectives and rationales.

La identidad de las educadoras diferenciales en tiempos de políticas de accountability

El objetivo principal de esta investigación es comprender la construcción de la identidad de las educadoras diferenciales en el marco de la implementación de políticas educativas de rendición de cuentas o accountability en Chile. Metodológicamente este estudio responde a la tradición cualitativa de investigación, en el que participaron 10 educadoras diferenciales de la Región Metropolitana. Los instrumentos para producir la información en esta investigación corresponden a la entrevista en profundidad y la bitácora reflexiva. Como técnica de análisis de las narrativas se procedió a emplear el análisis de contenido cualitativo. Entre los principales hallazgos se encuentran una construcción de identidad en transformación y tensionada por las demandas de la rendición de cuentas y la producción de prácticas de estandarización y exclusión como efectos de las lógicas de mercado educativo, las que van en contra de la identidad que históricamente han construido estas educadoras.

Using Data for Program Improvement in Teacher Education: A Study of Promising Practices

Background/ContextContemporary accountability policies in teacher education often require that programs systematically use data for program improvement. However, social science research from multiple fields of human service suggests that the challenges of using data involve much more than creating policies and related information technologies to support collection, archival, and analysis of information about program outcomes. In this study we investigated organizational policies and practices implemented within ten high data-use teacher education programs to support faculty and staff engagement with opportunities to use a variety of data for the purposes of program improvement.Purpose/Objective/Research QuestionWhat organizational tools, policies, and practices are associated with systematic use of data for program improvement in high data-use teacher education programs?Research DesignWe used qualitative field research methods to study a set of teacher preparation programs situated in institutions that varied considerably in size, mission, and organizational structure. Using a comparative case-study approach, we hoped to identify a set of practices that were robust across variations in institutional setting and that therefore might be useful to other teacher educators as they attempt to navigate the pressures of current accountability mandates in ways that are consonant with their aspirations for program improvement.Conclusions/RecommendationsOrganizational practices associated with high levels of data use in the programs we studied included the allocation of specific times and places to allow thoughtful engagement with opportunities to use data in deliberation of program actions, as well as the integration of these activities into regular organizational routines. Consistent with earlier studies, we found that faculty in these programs more readily and vigorously engaged data-use work organized around local inquiry goals, rather than compliance with external policy mandates or grant expectations. Leadership actions related to establishing local inquiry and program improvement as the primary goal of data-use work appeared to be crucial to motivating faculty and staff to take up opportunities to use data as a resource for learning and program decision-making.

Accountability contribuindo na efetivação da universalização do ensino especialmente na Educação do Campo

O artigo promove a discussão sobre as aplicações das políticas públicas de accountability na educação básica, com destaque para a Educação do Campo, que atende prioritariamente ao objetivo de quantificação dos resultados considerados positivos para utilização com fins ideológicos neoliberais, em detrimento do diagnóstico de situações que precisam avançar para atingir uma educação de qualidade. Assim, o trabalho está fundamentado em uma abordagem qualitativa, desenvolvida por meio de análises bibliográficas em materiais impressos e sites de buscas. As conclusões permitem compreender que as políticas públicas educacionais para universalização do ensino necessitam maiores atenções.
 Palavras-chave: Accountability, Universalização, Educação do Campo.
 
 Accountability contributing in the effectiveness of education universalization especially in Rural Education
 ABSTRACT: The article promotes the discussion on the application of public accountability policies in basic education with emphasis on Rural Education, which primarily serves the objective of quantifying the results considered positive for use with neoliberal ideological purposes, to the detriment of diagnosing situations that need to advance to achieve an education of quality. Thus, the work is based on a qualitative approach developed through bibliographic analysis, in printed materials and search sites. The conclusions allow us to understand that public educational policies for the education universalization need greater attention.
 Keywords: Accountability, Universalization, Rural Education.
 
 Responsabilidad que contribuye a la efectividad de la universalización de la educación especialmente Educación rural
 RESUMEN: El artículo promueve la discusión sobre la aplicación de políticas públicas de rendición de cuentas en la educación básica con énfasis en Educación Rural, que principalmente sirve al objetivo de cuantificar los resultados considerados positivos para su uso con fines ideológicos neoliberales, en detrimento de diagnosticar situaciones que necesitan avanzar para lograr una educación de calidad. Así, el trabajo se basa en un enfoque cualitativo desarrollado a través del análisis bibliográfico, en materiales impresos y sitios de búsqueda. Las conclusiones permiten comprender que las políticas públicas educativas para la universalización de la educación necesitan mayor atención.
 Palabras clave: Responsabilidad, Universalización, Educación Rural.

The Uneven Implementation of Universal School Policies: Maternal Education and Florida's Mandatory Grade Retention Policy

Educational accountability policies are a popular tool to close the achievement gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students. However, these policies may exacerbate inequality if families from advantaged backgrounds are better able to advocate for their children and thus circumvent policy. We investigate this possibility in the context of the early grade retention policy in Florida, which requires all students with reading skills below grade level to be retained in the third grade, yet grants exemptions under special circumstances. We find that Florida's third-grade retention policy is in fact enforced differentially depending on children's socioeconomic background, especially maternal education. Holding exemption eligibility constant, scoring right below the promotion cutoff results in an increase in the probability of retention that is 14 percent greater for children whose mothers have less than a high school degree compared with children whose mothers have a bachelor's degree or more. We also find that the discrepancies in retention rates are mainly driven by the fact that students with well-educated mothers are more likely to be promoted based on subjective exemptions, such as teacher portfolios.

Who expects to become a teacher? The role of educational accountability policies in international perspective

In this study, I examine between-country differences in students' expectations of becoming teachers. I use data from 365,298 students from 50 countries participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015. The results reveal that high-achieving students in countries that implement test-based educational accountability policies are less likely to expect to work as teachers than students in systems that do not use such policies. This suggests that test-based accountability policies may discourage highly skilled candidates from entering the teaching profession and these policies may act as barriers to attracting high-quality teacher candidates.

Teacher evaluation and the demoralization of teachers

Drawing from two years of ethnographic data, this case study details one middle school science and mathematics teacher's experience of new statewide teacher evaluation processes. Initially, these processes held potential as professional learning opportunities. However, limited opportunities for sense-making about what counts as “good” teaching foreclosed on teacher learning contributing to teacher demoralization. Evaluation processes eroded teacher professional identity by reshaping notions of professional competence in ways that did not make sense to teachers. Insights from this study inform debates about teacher evaluation and contribute to scholarship questioning the relationship between accountability policies in education and teachers' professional growth.

POLÍTICAS DE AVALIAÇÃO E REGULAÇÃO DA QUALIDADE: REPERCUSSÕES NA EDUCAÇÃO BÁSICA

O texto propõe uma discussão sobre políticas de avaliação e regulação da qualidade educacional. Considerando o campo do instituído, tem por objetivo analisar elementos e processos do perfil assumido hodiernamente pelas avaliações externas no ensino fundamental e na educação infantil. Com base em exame documental e tendo por referência resultados de investigações sobre indicadores de qualidade e políticas de avaliação, responsabilização e prestação de contas (accountability) na educação escolar, realça tensões e contradições dos modelos de avaliação implementados ou em vias de implementação nessas duas etapas da escolarização. Sem perder de vista o campo do instituinte, aponta discrepâncias nas condições de melhoria das aprendizagens em vista dos modelos de regulação da qualidade em curso na educação básica.

Lip Service or Actionable Insights? Linking Student Experiences to Institutional Assessment and Data-Driven Decision Making in Higher Education

ABSTRACTDespite an increasing focus on issues of accountability, assessment, and data-driven decision making (DDDM) within the postsecondary context, assumptions regarding their value remain largely untested. The current study uses empirical data from 114 senior administrators and 8,847 students at 57 institutions in five states to examine the extent to which institutional assessment and data-driven decision making shape the experiences of first-year students. Nearly all these schools regularly collect some form of assessment data, and more than half report using assessment data to inform decision making. However, the institutional adoption of policies related to the collection of assessment data or the application of data-driven decision making appears to have no relationship with student experiences or outcomes in the first year of college. Thus, findings from the current study are consistent with the small, but growing, body of literature questioning the effectiveness of accountability and assessment policies in higher education.

Leaving the teaching profession: The role of teacher stress and educational accountability policies on turnover intent

This study examined the relationship between test-based accountability policy at the state level, teacher test stress, teacher burnout, and teacher turnover intentions, while controlling for years of teacher experience. Structural equation modeling of data from 1866 teachers across three states identified that state-specific accountability significantly predicted higher rates of test-stress, burnout, and turnover intent. Greater teacher experience was significantly related to a lower likelihood of teacher migration between schools. This study provides evidence across multiple states that test-based accountability policies may predict greater teacher turnover intent, as well as higher levels of teacher stress. Implications for future research are discussed.

The psychological and instructional consequences of American educational accountability policies: A response to Hutchings

The psychological and instructional consequences of American educational accountability policies: A response to Hutchings