Accountability,school reform,and equity: The troubling case of Sylvan school district |
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Authors: | Dr Barnett Berry |
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Institution: | (1) College of Education, University of South Carolina, 29208 Columbia, SC |
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Abstract: | Most educational accountability systems draw upon relatively simplified indicators of student learning. Despite sufficient
criticism and evidence of their misuse, test scores continue to be emphasized—even though they have a deadening effect on
the very school district these accountability systems intend to primarily influence. This paper focuses on one of these low-performing
school districts. The case study of Sylvan One reveals that the influence of state policy is especially circumscribed in a
district like Sylvan's that is beset by such prevailing conditions as the politics of race, the culture of poverty, vacuums
in communication and leadership, and the uncritical mass of human resources. Each of these conditions limits change and reform
dramatically. Account-ability and reform must focus on a rigorous curriculum and well-understood standards—but only in the
context of this community, replete with its problems ofrelationships, resources, andracism. These are the “three Rs” that are tantamount to creating and sustaining reform. And this approach is more about political
development than anything else. Recommendations for moving beyond the traditional policymaking tools of mandates and inducements
are suggested, recognizing that policy may at best promote equality, but not necessarily excellence and equity. |
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Keywords: | |
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