Educational accountability reforms: performance information and political power

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Abstract
The movement toward accountability reporting for elementary and secondary schools has been widespread, in the USA as well as in some other countries. This development involves use of performance information, particularly assessment of pupil achievement, to make comparisons among schools and other units. Despite its popularity, the rationale for accountability reporting is unclear. For example, it is not resolved whether performance information is to prompt action by citizens and interest groups acting politically, through oversight by superordinate governments applying mandates, rewards and sanctions, or by individual consumers through market decisions. Several accountability reporting systems, operating in South Carolina, Illinois, and the UK, are reviewed. Each system is built principally around one of the three alternative rationales. The analysis demonstrates how the policy design and policy settlement operating in each case are key to understanding the outcomes which may be expected to flow from the accountability reporting system. South Carolina's policy design integrates performance reporting with a variety of other state initiatives, and the policy settlement has built widespread commitment to the reforms by the citizenry, civic elites, and school professionals. This has created a performance accountability system with strong impact. In Illinois, by contrast, the impact has been marginal due to the policy design, which left initiative in using the report card to local citizens and officials rather than state officials, and by a conflictual policy settlement. In the UK, the Thatcher Government has linked performance assessment to new market pressures on poorly performing schools. Implementation has yet to occur, but the complex assessment system has required extensive professional involvement at the development stage, which may conflict with expanded consumer influence.

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