Public schools have to abide by health and safety regulations. We have to buy food for our cafeterias from certain vendors and follow complicated regulations in the kinds of food we can serve, when we can serve it and how we serve it. Accountability for us means measuring the performance of teachers, other staff members, administrators and the school board itself against student achievement objectives. These are issues school boards need to consider. Accountability means that parents and other key members of the community must be involved in setting the standards but also must be given data about their children in a way that allows them to track progress over time.
Accountability brings challenges for schools as well.
Now that standards are being implemented in 49 states, there is some impatience that too many students are failing new state assessments. This has led to a backlash among many parents and has caused some states to look for ways to lower or delay the standards. The other concept, public school choice, is a bit more controversial. Our NSBA resolution clearly states that we are opposed to mandated choice. Real public school choice could be our best weapon to fight the voucher movement.