蜜桃影视

Sixteen years ago this week, the bipartisan creation of No Child Left Behind led to an era of raised expectations for鈥�all鈥痵chools and students. Schools no longer could overlook students who were not reading and doing math at聽grade level. Nor could schools hide struggling learners behind the success of students who were mastering their courses. The results from the independent, annual state exams that NCLB required held schools responsible for the performance of鈥�all鈥痵迟耻诲别苍迟蝉.

The next wave of school accountability must maintain that level of responsibility for every child, especially as states implement new accountability plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act. ESSA gives states greater authority, an opportunity for state leaders to show their seriousness about the achievement of all students.

As states exercise their new authority, the federal government, watchdogging experts, and policymakers must ensure that states implement their plans with fidelity聽and support the education leaders who use accountability as a key tool to聽help聽all kids聽achieve. Student progress must be measured. And states must engage educators, parents, and the public to discuss the results.

The two of us spent much of the past year interviewing leading educators about the future of school accountability. They all agreed that accountability allows us to organize and operate schools in ways that put kids first. The themes emerging in聽 form our list of three priorities to watch as states implement ESSA plans.

(Click through the grid below to read each leader鈥檚 take on accountability)

First, parents and educators should be able to聽understand the data that state accountability systems produce. Each state designed an accountability index with student progress targets. The goal of each index is to capture and measure whether children are on track for what is next 鈥� the next grade or postsecondary life, whether college, a career, or the military.聽Simply put, the indexes ask, 鈥淎re our state鈥檚 children on track to become successful young adults?鈥�

This sounds reasonable and straightforward in theory, but in practice both the index and the reporting data often become incredibly complex and difficult to decipher. Anyone who聽created or signed off on a state accountability index must be able to explain what the system measures, why the data points matter, how they are weighted to determine the overall performance of a school or district, and whether all students are included.

This leads to the second priority we are tracking: Are states using testing and accountability index data to drive appropriate supports and consequences for struggling schools?

Information gleaned from state tests and other data points聽is聽not an end unto聽itself 鈥� it is聽an invitation to solve聽for the obstacles聽that limit student progress.聽The聽last thing聽that聽low-achieving campuses聽need聽is a continual rehash of聽the same strategies.聽As聽Denver Public Schools Superintendent聽聽explained聽in our interview, states and districts 鈥渃an鈥檛 just say, 鈥極h, gee, the gaps are there. We鈥檙e really unhappy about them.鈥� The issue is, what are you going to do, or do differently?鈥�

In some places, acting on the data could mean linking educators in low-performing campuses with those in high-performing ones.鈥�, former New Mexico education commissioner, explains that New Mexico has pursued this strategy as a way for principals and teachers to鈥痵hare successful strategies.

Acting on the data also could mean giving incentives and supports for the highest-performing聽 in a district to lead and teach in schools that need intensive聽support.聽And聽it could mean using聽聽to make instructional decisions and get buy-in from educators and the public.

In other places, better supports will mean giving students more personal attention.鈥�, founder and CEO of Summit Public Schools, reports that Summit schools use student progress data to form, track, and schedule one-on-one mentoring relationships. Summit has a聽goal of each child having at least one stable adult relationship, a critical element to its instructional design.

Our third tracking priority is what state education agencies and leaders are communicating about their plan鈥檚 implementation and student progress. Are parents, educators, employers, higher education leaders, and others regularly updated on the results 鈥� and being asked for feedback? Are聽state聽agencies providing the sophisticated support many plans outlined?

For better or worse, the state plans are largely completed. Now the real work begins: implementing,聽watchdogging, and supporting educators who use accountability as a tool聽to serve all kids.

This job is difficult and messy.聽If done correctly, states聽can give students a greater chance of becoming better readers, writers, and problem solvers.聽This聽gives聽children greater agency聽in their futures.

At the same time, America聽will be able to聽sustain what makes鈥痮ur country distinct and has accelerated the nation鈥檚聽prosperity: educated鈥痗itizens who聽provide for themselves and their families,聽create new ideas and opportunities,聽and聽engage in their communities. A society that meaningfully invests in all its youth will steadily strengthen over time, both morally and structurally.

Anne Wicks is director of education reform at the George W. Bush Institute. William McKenzie is editorial director at the George W. Bush Institute.

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