One System or Two. Title I Accountability in the Context of High Stakes for211 Schools in Local Districts and States

摘要

In the past decade, the problem of persistently low-performing schools has211u001egarnered increasing attention from educators, policy makers, and the general 211u001epublic. In response, over 22 states and several major districts have instituted 211u001epolicies requiring school-level accountability for student performance and 211u001esanctions for schools that fail to improve. This report addresses the 211u001erelationship between the school accountability measures required for Title I 211u001eschools and those put in place by state and local jurisdictions for all their 211u001eschools. Our main focus was on the degree of coherence and compatibility among 211u001ethe multiple accountability systems, as well as the level and coordination of 211u001esupport provided to schools in need of improvement. The sample selected for study 211u001eincluded two state-administered systems (Kentucky and Maryland), two locally-211u001edeveloped systems (San Francisco and Chicago), and one large urban district 211u001eresponding to the state-based accountability requirements (New York City). Each 211u001eof these jurisdictions had developed its system-wide accountability policies 211u001eindependent of, and generally prior to, the new Title I provisions.