Accountability: Attitudes

STATE BY STATE | TEACHERS | ATTITUDES | RECOMMENDATIONS

According to a late 1998 study by Public Agenda called "Reality Check," educators and the public don't see eye-to-eye on accountability. This gap in attitudes will have to get smaller before the core principle is embraced in good faith.

Here are some highlights from that study.

If schools show no evidence of progress, should superintendents be able to fire principals?

• Parents who said "yes": 70 percent
• Educators who said "yes": 36 percent

If schools fail repeatedly, should districts be able to replace the staff, "reconstitute" the faculty?

• Parents who said "yes": 62 percent
• Educators who said "yes": 28 percent

Should tenure (permanent job security) for principals be eliminated?

• Parents who said "yes": 70 percent
• Educators who said "yes": 33 percent

Read Education Week to get a strong grounding in the issues surrounding accountability, and for an overview of the "Reality Check" survey.

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