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Blogs on Accountability

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Going Beyond NCLB and Assessing Schools Differently

Anne OBrienMay 10, 2011

Tags Accountability, Comprehensive Assessment, Formative Assessment, Performance Assessment, Standardized Testing, All Grades, New Hampshire

We all know that reading and math standardized test scores do not truly represent how good a school is. But thanks to No Child Left Behind -- the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) -- they are just about all we consider while judging a school's performance.

Happy Scott Walker Day!

Holden ClemensApril 1, 2011

Tags Accountability, Standardized Testing, Drama, All Grades

Editor's Note: Today's guest blog is by Holden Clemens. Mr. Clemens is an educator. This makes him slightly more qualified than most politicians to comment on education.

Hello!

I would like to take this moment to in honor of today -- Scott Walker Day -- to share my thoughts on the current state of the educational system in our beloved country.

Assessment Carnival: More Than Quizzes and Tests

Shawn CornallyJanuary 31, 2011

Tags Accountability, Comprehensive Assessment, Curriculum, Formative Assessment, Performance Assessment, Teacher Development

Editor's Note: Today's guest blogger is Shawn Cornally, author of the Standards-Based Grading. Here, he presents a blog carnival on redefining assessment. It's a complex issue, and one that we tackle in the next Schools that Work series here on Edutopia.

Legislation Done Right Can Drive School Improvement

Anne OBrienJanuary 5, 2011

Tags Accountability, Achievement Gap, Education Reform, Teacher Development, All Grades, California

Sometimes I write about concerns with education legislation. That it doesn't always take into consideration the expertise of those in the schools -- those who are actually responsible for the implementation of the policy. That evidence doesn't always support it. That it can create perverse incentives.

Why Performance-Based Pay for Teachers Makes Sense

Ben JohnsonDecember 20, 2010

Tags Accountability, Education Reform, Teacher Development, All Grades, Texas

Up until now, I have stayed away from hot-bed political conversations but I am now right in the middle of one: Performance-based pay for teachers. I am currently managing a grant to implement performance-based compensation systems in ten charter schools and the fun is only beginning.

Equation of Success: Top Ten Responsibilities that Students Must Own

Heather Wolpert-GawronDecember 3, 2010

Tags Accountability, Teacher Development, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8)

I have written before in the past on various blog sites and networks about the vital equation that must exist in order for a student not to fail in our schools:

Snapshots of Innovation: Travels With Chen (After Steinbeck's Travels with Charley)

Milton ChenNovember 3, 2010

One of my favorite books in high school was John Steinbeck's Travels With Charley, his account of his road trip around the U. S., late in his career, accompanied only by his French poodle Charley. Not having traveled much as a boy beyond my home state of Illinois, into Wisconsin and Indiana, I was mesmerized by his stories of the vastness and diversity of our country.

School Reform: Focusing on College Prep is Key

Bob LenzOctober 29, 2010

Tags Accountability, Curriculum, Primary (K-2), Project-Based Learning, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Whether you are a fan or a cynic, the film, "Waiting for Superman" has shone a welcome spotlight on the long time crisis in our public education system. What I believe is really at stake when considering that crisis is whether or not we give a generation of kids the opportunity to move out of poverty.

The Writing Workshop: A Valuable Tool for Differentiation and Formative Assessment (Guest Blog)

Todd FinleyOctober 23, 2010

Tags Accountability, Curriculum, Formative Assessment, Lesson Plans, Multiple Intelligences, Performance Assessment, Student Engagement, Teacher Development, High (9-12), English Language Arts

Editor's Note: Author, Jennifer Sharpe, is Director of Secondary Education for Nash-Rocky Mount Schools and Associate Director/K-12 Liaison for the Tar River Writing Project (TRWP) at East Carolina University.

Most of the basic material a writer works with is acquired before the age of fifteen.
- Willa Cather

For Kids' Sake, Let's Connect Parents and Schools

Suzie BossOctober 21, 2010

Tags Accountability, Homework, Professional Development, Teacher Development, All Grades

At the end of my street sits an aging elementary school. Brick and boxy, it's no architectural marvel. But it's the reason we moved to this neighborhood many years back. And even though my own kids have long since outgrown grade school, I can't help but do a quick scan of the playground whenever I round the corner. I don't recognize many faces anymore, but the scene still brings up a wellspring of fond memories. I can close my eyes and remember my kids' Halloween parades, violin concerts, and an authors tea where a class of second-graders were the featured writers.