The 'A' Word
Accountability. On its surface, the word simply means a willingness to accept responsibility for one’s actions. Accountability applied to schools, however, has become so twisted and polarizing that it is now the equivalent of a dirty word. To mention it is to risk being met with stern, disapproving looks and accusations of being anti-teacher and a corporate raider looking to profit off the backs of kids. What? How did we get here? As with all polarizing issues, the truth is much more nuanced and requires us to look beyond the sound bites. The “A” Word seeks to do that through conversations with recognized education leaders.
Analysis
The ‘A’ Word: Tom Boasberg — ‘Accountability Is Not About Punishment’
Opinion
The ‘A’ Word: Holly Kuzmich — ‘Many of the Challenges Still in Place Can’t Be Tackled Via Policy Change’
Analysis
The ‘A’ Word: Diane Tavenner — ‘What I Really Want to Know Are Yes-or-No Answers to 3 Things’
Analysis
The ‘A’ Word: Daniel King — ‘Everything’s at Stake If We Don’t Improve Social Mobility’
Analysis
The ‘A’ Word: Wicks & McKenzie — The 4 Things That Accountability Should Do Well
Analysis
The ‘A’ Word: Dustin Marshall — ‘It’s Shocking, Appalling, That There Are Arguments Made in Education That Data Is Bad’
Analysis
The ‘A’ Word: Gerard Robinson — ‘We Have Got to Get Rid of the Term “Accountability.” It’s Simply Too Toxic.’
Analysis
The ‘A’ Word: Kevin Huffman — ‘Parents Don’t Dislike Testing as Much as People Think They Do. They Hate Test Prep’
Analysis
The ‘A’ Word: Felicia Cumings Smith — ‘You Have to Lean Into the Messiness and Have Honest Conversations’
Analysis
The ‘A’ Word: Hanna Skandera — ‘I Am Not Anti-Union Until They Don’t Put Kids First’
Analysis
The ‘A’ Word: John King — ‘In Too Many Places, Underperformance Is Not Only Tolerated, but Assumed’
Analysis
The ‘A’ Word: John King — Why Equity Matters So Much to Me
Analysis
The ‘A’ Word: Accountability — The Dirty Word of Today’s Education Reform
Analysis
The ‘A’ Word: Lizzette Reynolds — ‘Accountability Shouldn’t Be Considered a Way of Limiting a Child’s Progress’
Analysis
The ‘A’ Word: Margaret Spellings — ‘You Can’t Solve a Problem That You Don’t Diagnose Correctly, Fairly, Accurately, and Comparably’