Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Quandaries of School Leadership pp 105–125Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Quandaries of Assessment and Accountability

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 622 Accesses

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss quandaries that educational administrators may face relative to accountability and assessment in pre-Kindergarten (pK-12) schools as leaders of learning for instructional improvement and capacity building for a culture of assessment and accountability. From the Voices 3 interview data, transcriptions of focus groups that were held with principals throughout the nation were analyzed to discern the challenges in implementation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) as a lens for considering challenges that may be faced today with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requirements. The primary challenges were identified as fitting three themes: consideration of “What’s Best for Students,” facilitating instructional improvement and balancing the press for time with development of a positive culture.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abedi, J. (2004). The No Child Left Behind Act and English language learners: Assessment and accountability issues. Educational Researcher, 33, 4–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Auerbach, S. (Ed.). (2012). School leadership for authentic families and community partnerships: Research perspectives for transforming practice. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Avalos, B. (2011). Teacher professional development in Teaching and Teaching Education over ten years. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(1), 10–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beck, L. G. (1994). Reclaiming educational administration as a caring profession. New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, L., & Murphy, J. (1993). Understanding the principalship: Metaphorical Themes 1920s–1990s. New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellamy, G. T., Fulmer, C. L., Murphy, M. J., & Muth, R. (2007). Principal accomplishments: How school leaders succeed. New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyd, D., Lankford, H., & Wyckoff, J. (2008). Increasing the effectiveness of teachers in low-performing schools. In H. Ladd & E. Fiske (Eds.), Handbook of research in education finance and policy (pp. 535–550). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boykin, A. W., & Noguera, P. (2011). Creating the opportunity to learn: Moving from research to practice to close the achievement gap. Alexandria: ASCD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chenoweth, K. (2009). How it’s being done: Urgent lessons from unexpected schools. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dantley, M. E. (2005). Moral leadership: Shifting the management paradigm. In F. W. English (Ed.), The Sage handbook of educational leadership: Advances in theory, research, and practice (pp. 34–46). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Darling-Hammond, L. (2016). Designing the ‘new accountability:” How public scholars can contribute to a productive policy framework for education. AERA Distinguished Lecture. Webcasts: 2016 Annualmeeting, Washington, DC. Retrieved at www.aera.net/Newsroom/Digital-Media_Gallery

  • Darling-Hammond, L., Wei, R. C., Andree, A., Richardson, N., & Orphanos, S. (2009). Professional learning in the learning profession: A status report on teacher development in the United States and Abroad. School Redesign Network at Stanford University. Dallas: National Staff Development Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Donaldson Jr., G. A. (2006). Cultivating leadership in schools: Connecting people, purpose, and practice (3rd ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • DuFour, R., & Fullan, M. (2013). Cultures built to last; Systemic PLCs at work. Bloomington: Solution Tree Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fancera, S. I., & Bliss, J. R. (2011). Instructional leadership influence on collective teacher efficacy to improve student achievement. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 10, 349–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freedberg, L. (2016). Education secretary takes heat for pushing single rating of schools. EdSource: Highlighting strategies for student success. Retrieved from https://edsource.org/2016/education-secretary-takes-heat-for-pushing-…

  • Fullan, M. (2014). The principal: Three keys to maximizing impact. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fullan, M., & Quinn, J. (2016). Coherence: The right drivers in action for schools, districts, and systems. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gay, G. (2010). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goddard, R., Goodard, Y., Kim, E. S., & Miller, R. (2015). A theoretical and empirical analysis of the roles of instructional leadership, teacher collaboration, and collective efficacy beliefs in support of student learning. American Journal of Education, 121(4), 501–530.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green, T. L. (2015). Leading for urban school reform and community development. Educational Administration Quarterly, 51(5), 679–711. doi:10.1177/0013161X15577694

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, A. T., & Mapp, K. L. (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and community connections in students’ achievement. Austin: National Center of Family and Community Connections with Schools/Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, S. A., & North, C. E. (2012). Beyond popular cultural and structural arguments: Imagining a compass to guide burgeoning urban achievement gap scholars. Education and Urban Society, 44(3), 274–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ishimaru, A. (2013). From heroes to organizers: Principals and education organizing in urban school reform. Education Administration Quarterly, 49(1), 3–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobson, S., & Day, C. (2007). The International Successful School Principals’ Project (ISSPP): An overview of the project, the case studies and their contents. International Studies in Educational Administration, 43(6), 3–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobson, S., Johnson, L., Ylimaki, R., & Giles, C. (2005). Successful leadership in challenging US schools: Enabling principles, enabling schools. Journal of Educational Administration, 43(6), 607–618.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaser, L., & Halbert, J. (2009). Leadership mindsets: Innovation and learning in the transformation of schools. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Killion, J., & Ray, P. (2009). Becoming a learning school. Oxford: National Staff Development Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klar, H. W., & Brewer, C. A. (2013). Successful leadership in high-needs schools: An examination of core leadership practices enacted in challenging contexts. Educational Administration Quarterly, 49(5), 768–808.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein, S. P., Hamilton, L. S., McCaffrey, D. F., & Stetcher, B. M. (2000). What do test scores in Texas tell us? Santa Monica: The RAND Corporation.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Knapp, M. S., Copland, M. A., Honig, M. I., Plecki, M. L., &Portin, B. S. (2010). Learning-focused leadership and leadership support: Meaning and practice in urban systems. Seattle, WA: Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy-University of Washington. Retrieved from http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/school-leadership/key-research/Documents/Focused-Leadership-and-Support-in-Urban-Systems.pdf

  • Ladson Billings, G. (2009). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American students (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J. (2008). Is test-driven external accountability effective? Synthesizing the evidence from cross-state causal-comparative and correlational studies. Review of Educational Research, 78, 608–644.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leithwood, K. (2011). Leadership and student learning: What works and how. In J. Robertson & H. Tinpeley (Eds.), Leadership and learning (pp. 41–53). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Leithwood, K., Seashore Louis, K., Anderson, S., &Wahlstrom, D. (2004). How leadership influences student learning. (Report for the Wallace Foundation). New York: The Wallace Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lezotte, L. (1994). The nexus of instructional leadership and effective schools. School Administrator, 51(6), 20–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Louis, K. S., Leithwood, K., Wahlstrom, K. L., & Anderson, S. E. (2010). Learning from leadership: Investigating the links to improved student learning. New York: Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, university of Minnesota.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mathison, S., & Ross, E. W. (2004). Introduction: The nature and limits of standards-based reform and assessment. In S. Mathison & E. W. Ross (Eds.), The nature and limits of standards-based reform and assessment (pp. xvii–xxxv). New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mintrop, H., & Sunderman, G. L. (2009). Predictable failure of federal sanctions-driven accountability for school improvement-and why we may retain it anyway. Educational Researcher., 38(5), 353–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, S. D., Kochan, F. K., Kraska, M., & Reames, E. H. (2011). Professional development and student achievement in high poverty schools: Making the connection. International Studies in Educational Administration, 39(2), 65–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muijs, D., Harris, A., Chapman, C., Stoll, L., & Russ, J. (2009). Improving schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas: A review of research evidence. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 15(2), 149–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murakami, E., Garza, E., & Merchant, B. (2010). Successful school leadership in socioeconomically challenging contexts; School principals creating and sustaining successful school improvement. International Studies in Educational Administration, 38(3), 35–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). A nation at risk: The imperative for educational reform. (ERIC Document Reproductive Service No. 065-000-00177-2). Washington, DC: US Government printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Staff Development Council (NSDC). (2004). Standards of practice for professional development. Oxford: National Staff Development Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Donoghue, T., & Clarke, S. (2010). Leading learning: Process, themes, and issues in international contexts. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Owens, R. G. (1995). Organizational behavior in education (6th ed.). Needham Heights: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paige, R., & Witty, E. (2010). The black-white achievement gap: Why closing it is the greatest civil rights issue of our time. New York: American Management Association (AMACOM).

    Google Scholar 

  • Pellicer, L. O. (2003). Caring enough to lead: How reflective thought leads to moral leadership. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Penuel, W. R., Fishman, B. J., Yamaguchi, R., & Gallagher, L. P. (2007). What makesprofessional development effective? Strategies that foster curriculum implementation. American Educational Research Journal, 44(4), 921–958.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, W. H., Burroughs, N. A., Zoido, P., & Houang, R. T. (2015). The role of schooling in perpetuating educational inequality: An international perspective. Educational Researcher, 44(7), 371–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seashore Louis, K., Murphy, J., & Smylie, M. (2016). Caring leadership in schools: Findings from exploratory analyses. Educational Administration Quarterly., 52(2), 310–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Senge, P. M., Cambron-McCabe, N., Lucas, T., Smith, B., Dutton, J., & Kleiner, A. (2012). Schools that learn: A fifth discipline fieldbook for educators, parents, and everyone who cares about education. New York: Crown Business.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sergiovanni, T. J. (2007). Rethinking leadership: A collection of articles (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shen, J., Cooley, V. E., Ma, X., Reeves, P. L., Burt, W. L., Rainey, J. M., & Yuan, W. (2012). Data informed decision-making on high-impact strategies: Developing and validating an instrument for principals. Journal of Experimental Education, 80(1), 1–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Starratt, R. (2004). Ethical leadership. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stefkovich, J. A. (2014). Best interests of the student: Applying ethical constructs to legal cases in education (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stiggins, R. J. (2002). Assessment crisis: The absence of assessment FOR learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 6, 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Education Trust. (2004). Measured progress: Achievement rises and gaps narrow, but slowly. Washington, DC: The Education Trust.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, S. (2001). The authentic standards movement and its evil twin. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(5), 358–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tierney, W. G. (2013). Beyond the ivory tower: The role of the intellectual in eliminating poverty. Educational Researcher, 42, 295–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Timperley, H. (2011). Knowledge and the leadership of learning. Leadership & Policy in Schools, 10(2), 145–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Education. (2015). Every Student Succeeds Act: A progress report on elementary and secondary education. Executive Office of the President. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: US Department of Education.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, CA, USA

    Betty Alford

  2. Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, TX, USA

    Julia Ballenger

Authors
  1. Betty Alford
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Julia Ballenger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Stetson University, Celebration, USA

    Debra J. Touchton

  2. University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, USA

    Mariela A. Rodríguez

  3. Educational Leadership and Administration, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA

    Gary Ivory

  4. Washington State University Tri-Cities, Richland, Washington, USA

    Michele Acker-Hocevar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Alford, B., Ballenger, J. (2018). Quandaries of Assessment and Accountability. In: Touchton, D., Rodríguez, M., Ivory, G., Acker-Hocevar, M. (eds) Quandaries of School Leadership. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59120-9_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59120-9_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-59119-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-59120-9

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation