2. RETHINKING ACCOUNTABILITY IN EDUCATION: HOW SHOULD WHO HOLD WHOM ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT?

Abstract

Everyone wants accountability in education. President Bill Clinton wanted accountability in education. In his 1999 State of the Union address, the President announced "…a plan that for the first time holds states and school districts accountable for progress and rewards them for results." Through his proposed Education Accountability Act, President Clinton sought to insist, "…all states and school districts must turn around their worst-performing schools, or shut them down" (1999, pp. 202–203).