The diminished attention to social studies education began with the standards and testing movement. As the national push for accountability became ever stronger, states focused first on standards in literacy and mathematics. In the face of pressures to focus on literacy and mathematics, schools and textbook publishers are attempting to "integrate"…

In the latter part of the 20th century, public education in America underwent a revolutionary shift. The 1983 publication of "A Nation at Risk," widely credited with launching the modern standards movement, led to a spate of statewide initiatives intended to define what students should know and be able to do. Now, more than five years…

Suggests an educationally sound approach for creating programs of minimal essentials for which a school can be held accountable. The program is teachable and reasonably limited. (IRT)

Comments on performance contracting and some of its implications. (MF)

This article discusses how standards-based accountability systems challenge American educators to accomplish something that has never been done in the nation's history: teaching all children to master a demanding set of skills. The challenge makes sense today because technological changes and outsourcing have left American workers who lack strong…

In January 2004 the author published an article in the Kappan titled "The Test Mess." In it, he examined how the state and federal accountability and tests were going. It was clear at that time that tests and accountability were not going to disappear--or even diminish--as the central mechanisms of the national effort to improve…

In response to Mr. Ayers and Mr. Klonsky, Mr. Duncan argues that Chicago's Renaissance 2010 initiative is holding adults accountable by closing low-performing schools rather than trapping children in a failing educational environment.

This article presents a reply to "Edison Is the Symptom, NCLB Is the Disease" by Peter Campbell--a critique that portrayed the school as an exploitative environment, a veritable plantation subjugating poor minority children through mind-numbing, compliance-inducing drills. The author refutes the specific charges leveled against…

Authors' largely conciliatory response to the Valencia, Valenzuela, Sloan, and Foley article in this issue of the "Kappan" critical of their December 2000 article in support of the Texas Accountability System. (Contains 14 references.) (PKP)

Argues that instead of raising academic standards, high-stakes testing has weakened them. (PKP)

Teachers must deal with lights that turn off on their own, toilet paper rationing and hot water shortages in the bathrooms, and not enough books for their classes. In this article, the author argues that asking teachers to work in these conditions while holding them accountable for dramatic improvements in student performance threatens to drive…

Describes how Lawndale District, near Los Angeles, developed a system of accountability starting with the superintendent. Describes the subgoals and objectives developed by the superintendent in cooperation with the Board of Trustees and members of the community. (JF)

Suggests that schools may be able to accomplish the objectives of accountability without resort to outside contractors. (JF)

A proposal to increase accountability in education through the use of performance contracting. (RA)

Describes several lessons learned from the design and implementation of a performance-measurement system required by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994. For example, very complex systems of performance measurement can compromise the quality and quantity of data obtained. Makes several recommendations to improve the quality of such…