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Accountability in Public Education in Utah: Guiding Principles The Herald Journal Richard P. West, Ph.D. Recent public hearings, newspaper articles, and letters to the editor have exposed the deep sentiments felt by many of our state's citizens on the issue of accountability in public education. Only a few commenters have disagreed with the concept of accountability; more than a few objected to the manner in which accountability will be achieved. A recent Associated Press story appearing in numerous local newspapers across the state noted that "three hundred teachers from around the state overflowed Salt Lake City School Board chambers and voiced their angry opposition to a plan to grade schools by student performance on tests" (The Herald Journal, October 21, 1999, p. 1). Members of the Task Force on Learning Standards and Accountability reassured teachers that the proposed plan is not intended as an attack on them, but some teachers remain unconvinced. One teacher apparently predicted that the threatened action "will only disrupt students, demoralize teachers and disable communities." Nevertheless, only a few have raised objections to the concept of accountability. Teachers and administrators in public education are entrusted with significant public resources to carry out their mission to educate our children. The funds to accomplish this mission amount to approximately one-half our state's annual budget. To be accountable for the management of this considerable resource is not asking too much. The question is not whether educators should be accountable, but accountable for what and how will accountability be assessed? Should our public educators be accountable for more than the general safety and well-being of the students attending our schools? If student learning is to be a measure of a teacher's accountability, how will learning be measured? Since learning is known to result from multiple factors including but not limited to classroom teaching, how will the contribution of other factors be measured, including those influences from outside school? Educators are justifiably concerned that an appraisal of their effectiveness may not separate the impact of their efforts from a variety of factors beyond their control such as nutrition, home and family circumstances, emotional and physical health, economic circumstances, ethnic and language diversity, and mobility. Nevertheless, many parents and business and community leaders express the viewpoint of one of the task force members who said, "I just want all students to learn at higher levels." Both positions have merit. How can we resolve the differences? With the passage of House Bill 144 in its 1999 general session, the Utah State Legislature established the Task Force on Learning Standards and Accountability in Public Education. The task force was charged to recommend "what action the Legislature and the State Board of Education need to take in order to have an effective statewide standards and accountability program for public education functioning by July 1, 2000." Notwithstanding reassurances to the contrary from task force members, many educators have perceived the task force's initiatives as distrustful and demeaning. There appears to be a growing polarization of opinion that will have to be overcome before any meaningful systematic change in the state's educational system can be accomplished. I would like to suggest a plan that could accomplish the desired improvements to our education system by establishing an attitude of trust and mutual respect among educators, legislators, and citizens and patrons. It is based upon the following principles:
In a subsequent commentary I will present a three-component plan based upon a balance of public responsibility and educator accountability. |