There must be a level playing field in terms of accountability for public and nonpublic schools. Many proponents of vouchers and charters, for example, talk glowingly of the small number of administrators for private and parochial schools compared to public schools, especially in urban areas. Yet, there is absolutely no acknowledgement of the differences in accountability. Public schools are accountable to the federal government, state government, and local government. An increasing number of our students have special needs and so our schools must adhere to strict federal regulations.
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.