Resources on Accountability

Resources

• A Primer on Accountability [PDF 472,608kb]
  From standards to assessment to results: what school leaders need to know about accountability in the NCLB era.
  
• Good Measures for Good Schools
  A comprehensive guide to measures of school quality for policymakers, parents, and others interested in public schools, compiled by the Center for Pubilc Education.
  
• Data-Driven Decision Making Resources
  Data-driven decision making can be used to better inform board decisions as school districts work systematically and strategically toward achieving their vision and goals.
  
• Taking Aim at Testing [PDF 248,830kb]
  This article from the March 2009 issue of The American School Board Journal asserts that accountability targets are only one measure--and an inaccurate one at that--of student success.
  
• How to Create an Accountability Framework
  This article appeared in the March/April 2009 issue of the Minnesota School Boards Association Journal. The author, the chief accountability officer of Saint Paul Public Schools, discusses how to integrate accountability at all levels to make it a comprehensive framework.
  
• Accountability Plan Spurs Achievement Gains for Indiana District
  Making accountability a matter of policy has helped the School District of Wayne Township narrow the achievement gap and raise student achievement scores overall.
  
• School Matters
  School Matters, a service of Standard and Poor's, is a website for parents researching information and data about pubic schools.
  
• SchoolDataDirect
  A place for educators, researchers, and policymakers to access information about public schools, SchoolDataDirect is a service of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). It is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of CCSSO's National Education Data Partnership
  
• National Center for Educational Achievement
  The National Center for Educational Achievement/Just for the Kids is a resource center for comparative information about successful practices in high achieving schools.
  
• Tools for Improving Education Accountability Systems
  The Education Commission of the States created an accountability policy inventory and web-based tool in order to help education leaders understand current accountability approaches and improve their own state and local accountability systems.