Report · October 31, 2017
The "A" Word
Accountability: The Dirty Word of Today's Education Reform
author
Anne Wicks
Don Evans Family Managing Director, Opportunity and Democracy
author
William McKenzie
Senior Editorial Advisor
Accountability. On its surface, the word simply means a willingness to accept responsibility for one’s actions. Accountability applied to schools, however, has become so twisted and polarizing that it is now the equivalent to a dirty word. To mention it is to risk being met with stern, disapproving looks and accusations of being anti-teacher and a corporate raider looking to profit on the backs of kids. What? How did we get here?
As with all polarizing issues, the truth is much more nuanced and requires us to look beyond the sound bites. The A Word seeks to do that through conversations with recognized education leaders.