Have a Good Life

I listened to the podcast Staff Loungin’ where the Rockstar Principals were guests. They were discussing the “accountability movement” in education. The host of the podcast mentioned that Arne Duncan and Michelle Rhee scared him (and that the accountability movement was also scary) and then Jon and Nick both said that they appreciate it.

This is just my opinion, but it seems that teachers dislike the accountability movement because they know that their kids are learning every day, so it seems asinine to have so much pressure to prove their learning on high-stakes tests. It seems that administrators and those higher up like the accountability movement better because they don’t know that kids are learning every day, because they don’t see it as much. I know for me, I like accountability and data because I can see from a bird’s eye view what is going on and why. That is important to me. As you get higher up, I can certainly see why and how the accountability movement is so vital.

What do you think? Am I off base here? Or does the distance from the classroom encourage the accountability requirements?

Have a Good Life.