States' accountability systems are being implemented as of July of this year.
Accountability touches everyone differently, depending on their position in the system.
In assembling this issue, we therefore sought out learners, program staff, staff development providers, state ABE directors, researchers, and public policy advocates. We didn't restrict their stories to how they were implementing the Workforce Investment Act. We wanted to know how they defined accountability, what being accountable involved, what the challenges were in implementing useful and viable accountability systems, and what lessons they had learned. The result, we hope, is a snapshot of diverse approaches to and opinions about accountability and its role in adult basic education in 1999. Learners are represented by Sherri Ames and Lisa White , who share their views on what they feel accountable for as program participants in a box on page 3 .