Accountability practices: A comparison between two elementary schools under different governance models

Accountability is the cornerstone of almost all contemporary educational reform movements, including the standards movement, the state mandated assessments, the popularity of alternative governance models to the "typical" public school, including the use of Educational Management Organizations (EMOs). The purpose of the present study was to identify, and compare accountability practices targeted at improving student academic achievement in a "typical" public school and in a school under the governance of Edison Schools Inc., an Educational Management Organization. Emphasis was placed on describing the accountability practices in place at each school (the school's accountability system) and the manner in which each governance model dictates how accountability is implemented on a daily basis in these schools.; A detailed description of the accountability system at each school was outlined, possible explanations for the manner in which the system is implemented were developed, and the influence of the school's governance model on the system was evaluated.; The two schools in this study are in the same school district, Long Beach Unified. John G. Whittier Elementary is the "typical" public school and Thomas Starr King-Edison Academy is the school under the guidance of Edison Schools Inc., an Educational Management Organization. The agreement between the Long Beach Unified School District and Edison Schools Inc. clearly indicates that the Board continues to have full authority of Starr King-Edison. Therefore, the school continues to be subject to following all Board policies including administering district wide assessments and following state and federal mandates imposed on the district.; The data gathered allowed for a detailed description of the accountability practices at each site. Both schools followed District policies by administering district required assessments and implementing district wide interventions. The differences between the accountability practices found at each school were the practices unique to the Edison Schools Inc., program.; Further research is needed to identify successful practices within each governance model that can be connected to student academic achievement. The identification of practices under accountability connected to student academic achievement will benefit all children if such practices can be implemented in any school setting.