Fullan, M. (2011). GCE. National testing policies and educator-based testing for accountability: The role of selection in student achievement. William C. Smith. 2016 Global Education Monitoring Report. Democracy and the public space in Latin America. The authors would like to thank the editors of this special issue as well as external reviewers for their helpful feedback. A Perfect Storm: The political economy of community-based management, teacher accountability, and impact evaluations in El Salvador and the global reform agenda. Article  ), The global testing culture: Shaping educational policy, perceptions, and practice (pp. In Africa, communities in Ethiopia and Malawi provide noteworthy examples of a partnership model, which builds government capacity while including community members in the problem identification and evaluation process. Brazil. The long route includes citizens influencing policymakers who would then have oversight authority over service providers. In many respects, this is the ‘age of accountability’ since accountability permeates all social services, including education (Hopmann 2008). Oxford: Symposium Books. Biesta, G. J. J. In reviewing the principal–agent problem what was originally seen as a two-party relationship has been stretched to include multiple principals (Fox 2015). Deliberativeness was also a concern as inaccurate or unreadable documentation undermined the quality of the board discussions. We suggest that structured democratic voice in education is most effective when multiple stakeholders—including parents, teachers, students, and other community members—are able to articulate their views on policy planning and evaluation in ways that their concerns are heard and valued. Holvoet, N., & Inberg, L. (2009). 37(1), 7–16. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education, 73–91). Education policies for raising student learning: The Finnish approach. Edwards, D. B. 7–22). Perie, M., Park, K., & Klau, K. (2007). Journal of Learning for Development, Background paper for the 2017-18 Global Education Monitoring Report. (2016). (2016). Sahlberg, P. (2009). Heubler, F. (2008). Monitoring learning through test scores and using results to drive policy reform are also practices supported by international organizations such as the World Bank, the OECD and, to a lesser extent, UNESCO (Benavot and Smith 2019). Brazil represents a well-established example of structured democratic voice in education planning. Tactical approaches represent a single limited approach while strategic ones involve “citizen voice coordinated with government reforms that bolster public sector responsibility” (p. 352). Additionally, resources are provided to help finance and sustain the accountability efforts while improving local capacity to ensure capable and informed democratic participation. Trust in the profession is more problematic and varies across countries. }); Women In Science Day - Supporting Women and Girls In Science. 17(2), 199–215. 2007; Sahlberg 2009), in which external actors place responsibility for improved outcomes on schools or teachers (Perie et al. 2018). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. The final section highlights important implications of the arguments and evidence reviewed. In education, the assumption that these multiple principals represent a homogeneous set of interests (Fox 2015), and express similar demands from educators, is violated. Donors certainly have a complex role to play in this process. In this article, we argue that most accountability reforms in education do not achieve their intended impact and that a critical condition for strengthening accountability in education involves providing different actors with an opportunity to articulate and represent their views as the accountability process enfolds. Just because parents (and others) value their local teachers does not mean teachers, as a profession, are viewed as capable and trustworthy. In both types of social accountability, citizens retain some decision-making authority. Background paper for the 2013-4 EFA Global Monitoring Report. Paris: UNESCO. According to the short route, teachers (the agent) should improve information available to parents (the principal), allowing for an evaluation of interests and potential sanction (perhaps in changing schools) in the event of misalignment. The emergence and spread of accountability are attributable, in part, to five political and social trends (UNESCO 2017). IIEP. Structured democratic voice can be direct democratic voice—for instance, when citizens are invited to directly participate in policy planning through formal consultations or conferences—or it can be representative democratic voice, when annual review processes include representatives who articulate the views of different stakeholder groups. Drawing on neo-liberal economic theories, it sees education interactions in transactional terms, and focuses on the benefits of marketization and privatization, in addition to increased performance measures and accountability (Tolofari 2005). ), Educational accountability: Professional voices from the field (pp. Supovitz, J. Chung, P. J. The growing accountability agenda in tertiary education: Progress of mixed blessing? In the end, teachers were not included in the decision to implement outcomes-based accountability (Jansen 2002). (2018). ... which I have cross-referenced for public school parents and community stakeholders. Transparency International School on Integrity is an annual state-of-the-art anti-corruption and accountability training for future leaders. The submitted plan was endorsed by over 70 parliamentarians in early 1998 and was in place from 2001 to 2010 (Bodião 2016). Smith, W. C. (2017). Ryan, K. E. (2004). Adequate transparency and accountability are therefore critical for ensuring that resource wealth is managed for the benefit of the whole population. Few spaces are available for teachers, local leaders, and students to articulate their concerns about policy initiatives or planned reforms. In D. Tawney (Ed. According to this prevailing narrative, national education systems must allocate more resources to measuring and monitoring learning and underscore ineffective practices among education personnel, often portrayed as lazy or unmotivated (Alhamdan et al. Education Aid Watch 2015. A recent GPE-commissioned evaluation of 39 JSRs held between July 2014 and December 2015 highlights the fact that stakeholder participation is uneven (Martinez et al. Tangential voice provides parents a one-time opportunity to voice their opinion to education decision makers who hold complete authority. the students are accountable for one another and their personal behavior. Paris: UNESCO. © Copyright 2019 -FlexiSAF Edusoft Limited. Critiques of the 2004 WDR have questioned the dichotomous presentation of seemingly mutually exclusive pathways. (2017). UNESCO. Washington, D.C.: Global Partnership for Education. The proposed Korean policy to hold teachers accountable for their student test scores was similar to efforts in the United States under No Child Left Behind, in effect between 2002 and 2017 (Chung and Chea 2016; Smith 2014). Oxford: Symposium Books. The assumed independence of individual actors creates a situation in which accountable parties are pulled in different directions, diminishing the time and quality of their efforts and leading to fractured accountability. UNESCO’s International Institute of Educational Planning, Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. 4 Accountability and transparency – Code of Conduct. (2015). 10, 211–227. Globalisation, Societies and Education, The civil society campaign was partially successful as target 20 of the 2014/2023 PNE identified 10% of GDP as the investment goal by the end of the plan (Federal Republic of Brazil 2014). 63–83). Finally, the government benefits through increased capacity as they are exposed to a variety of perspectives and learn from those on the front line of education, which ultimately leads to efficiency gains. Accessed December 30, 2018, from https://www.ndus.edu/uploads/reports/65/roundtable-linking-nd-and-its-university-system-2003.pdf. The traditional view of the long route is laid out as political accountability, where authority remains in the hands of policymakers. Media representation of teachers across five countries. of Charter School Authorizers Peter Cymrot, Counsel for Achievement First Paul O'Neill, Partner, Cohen Schneider & O'Neill LLP in New York Charter schools are public entities. Transitions in education policy and interventions for underachievers in South Korea. Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand. Notwithstanding the challenges of creating and implementing internally focused accountability systems, based on shared responsibility and actively engaged stakeholders, such systems are more likely to contribute to real gains in education, including progress on ambitious education targets (Fullan 2011). (1984). Journal of Education Policy, The many faces of accountability. Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh, Holyrood Campus, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, School of Education, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY, USA, You can also search for this author in UNESCO. Asia Pacific Educ. 3(1), 3–15. Accountability also entails a shift from a focus on educational inputs and enabling conditions to one on outputs, outcomes, and results (Perie et al. Accounting, accounts, and accountability regimes in pluralistic societies: Taking multiple perspectives seriously. Teaching the world that less is more: Global education testing and the Finnish national brand. Structured democratic voice, as defined in this article, involves extending the work on democratic voice and public participation to education. Fitzgerald, T. (2008). (2011). The strong donor orientation may also limit a more comprehensive review of the education plan or system. Edwards, D. B. public views of a wide range of experts who understand the importance of transparency and accountability in school governance. By highlighting the importance of structured democratic voice, the shortcomings of both the short and long route become clear. Mexico City, which seeks to become the most environmentally sustainable city in Latin America, adopted a 15-year Green Plan during the Marcelo Ebrand Administration (2006–2012) and promoted the role of sustainable democratic voice. Education for All 2015 National Review. As noted in the JSR examples above, representation, even of key actors, can be uneven. Correspondence to 72, 346–361. de Andrade Tosta, A. L., & Coutinho, E. F. Larsen, M. A. With a fuller understanding of their and others’ responsibilities, individuals are more likely to accurately report on the tasks they perform, and feel fairly treated (Cerna 2014). teachers are held accountable for learning. The agent is hired by the principal but misaligned interests and aims often lead to problems in efficiency (Smith 2017). Local control, illustrated by the short route, has become a mantra in the accountability literature. 4, 111–119. As individuals became disillusioned with the process, a change in administration led to the demise of the program (Madero and Morris 2016). Largely absent in discussions of accountability are the voices of stakeholders who work, learn, and teach in schools and other educational institutions. Smith, W. C. (2014). 125–134). ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY IN MANAGING SCHOOL FINANCES AT PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN JOHANNESBURG SOUTH by CYNTHIA NONHLANHLA NTSELE Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION in the subject EDUCATION MANAGEMENT at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: DR J NYONI NOVEMBER 2014 . Share Information with the Public Provide families and the public with easily accessible information to inform school choice decisions and increase their understanding of each school’s performance. 2017). If the national ownership of JSRs is to improve they need less focus on donor concerns and more on planning and implementation issues. 1–26). Smith, W. C. The challenges of education in Brazil. In J. C. Burke (Ed. This process involves enabling diverse education stakeholders to make use of organized opportunities to articulate their views, especially in discussions of planning and evaluation, in ways that their concerns are heard and valued. 2017; Smith 2016c; UNESCO 2017). Structuring democratic voice in education is a process worth pursuing and sustaining. Excluded groups or individuals may disengage if they believe their voices go unheard or make little difference (Madero and Morris 2016). Having a voice in policy development also contributes to the information component of the enabling environment. Research in Comparative and International Education, Bonal, X., & Tarabini, A. 23–38). Your email address will not be published. It required tests for all students in the third and eighth grades, as well as one grade in upper secondary education. Furthermore, including individuals who have clearly identified responsibilities in teaching and learning is integral to converting policy intentions into practice and subsequent evaluation. One avenue to increase trust involves the creation of shared aims and purposes. Evaluating test-based accountability perspectives: An international perspective. (2009). Structured democratic voice involves organizing opportunities for diverse education stakeholders to articulate their views when policies are being planned and evaluated in ways that stakeholder concerns are heard and valued. Parent trigger laws and the promise of parental voice. 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