After decades of such 'inputs' as how many books are in the school library and the number of computers in the classroom, American education is shining a spotlight on results.
Despite the intense political attention that has been focused on accountability, on standardized testing, and on the equity effects of both accountability and testing, the great majority of recent debate in education policy circles has failed to attend to either the dynamism or complexity of these issues and has, instead, been carried out in a dualistic, good versus evil, fashion. In contrast, the scholarship collected in this important new volume is designed to move beyond the prevailing dualism and to push the discourse about accountability, testing, and educational equity in public schools usefully forward, and to provide a much-needed resource for researchers, policy makers, and practitioners.
"Educational Equity and Accountability is a must-read for all those practitioners, citizens, and scholars concerned about high stakes testing and equity. Skrla and Schuerich do a masterful job in throwing considerable light on the controversy. Their choice of original research articles, well-documented arguments, critiques, and commentaries challenge both sides of the debate." -- Jay D. Scribner, co-author of High Performing Hispanic Schools and The Study of Educational Politics"An immensely valuable book--Sklra and Scheurich have assembled a stellar collection of essays to offer a comprehensive and balanced view of the U.S. educational equity-accountability debate." -- Wendy Puriefoy, President, Public Education Network"This compelling volume focuses on educationally and politically controversial issues: equity, testing, and accountability. The authors represent diverse perspectives and a range of experiences as educational researchers, policymakers, practitioners. They engage in an informed and informative dialogue, revealing the politics of policy, practice, and research in education in the United States." -- Mark Ginsburg, Co-Director, Institute for International Studies in Education, University of Pittsburgh"Skrla, Scheurich, and their colleagues offer a powerful analysis of the role that accountability systems can and actually have played in improving student performance and closing minority achievement gaps. The courage and balance they show by including chapters by some of their own harshest critics are especially noteworthy. Much of their research was conducted at a time when the climate of academic opinion among those for whom equity is a top priority sharply opposed the idea that accountability could promote rather than undermine the pursuit of more equitable education for students from poor and minority backgrounds. This work deserves the attention of scholars and practitioners all across the country." -- Charles Thompson, East Carolina University
