Abstract: One prominent approach to school improvement focuses on strengthening school accountability. This paper explains how three main issues keep the theory (which links school accountability to school performance) from working in practice. The issues involve: (1) implementation controversies dealing with standards, incentives, and constituencies; (2) insufficient efforts to build organizational capacity; and (3) failure to recognize the importance of internal school accountability. The study examined the nature and extent of accountability in 24 "restructuring" elementary, middle, and high schools in 16 states. The data indicate that strong accountability was rare; organizational capacity was not related to accountability; schools with strong external accountability tended to have low organizational capacity; and strong internal accountability tended to reinforce a school's organizational capacity. The findings suggest that external agencies trying to increase school accountability should pay more attention to stimulating the kind of internal accountability that is linked to organizational capacity. The data were derived from observation, interviews, surveys of teachers and students, and document review. Appendices contain methodological notes, 2 figures, and 2 tables. (Contains 17 endnotes and 57 references.) (LMI)

Title: Accountability and School Performance: Implications from Restructuring Schools. Final Deliverable.
Author: Newmann, Fred M.; King, M. Bruce; Rigdon, Mark
Note: 70p.
Publication Year: 1996
Document Type: Research Report (143)
Target Audience: Practitioners
ERIC Identifier: ED412631
Clearinghouse Identifier: EA028706
This document is available from the ERIC Document Reproduction Service.

Descriptors: * Accountability; * Educational Improvement; Elementary Secondary Education; Human Resources; * Organizational Development; * Organizational Effectiveness; Organizational Theories; * Performance; School Restructuring