Early Implementation of the Accountability Provisions Under Elementary and Secondary Education Act Flexibility

• In Event: Effectiveness and Accountability: Measuring School and Teacher Performance

Abstract

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) is the nation’s key policy driver for elementary and secondary education, shaping federal, state, and district efforts to promote effective school systems and improve educational outcomes, particularly for students in high-poverty schools. The proposed paper reflects findings from a descriptive implementation study of this revised federal policy. Data were collected through telephone interviews with a purposive sample of state, district, and school officials. The study used a general theory of action for performance-based accountability systems to explore the early implementation of state differentiated recognition, accountability and support systems under ESEA flexibility, including topics related to state and district processes, successes, and challenges, as well as school-level experiences.

Authors

• Courtney Tanenbaum, American Institutes for Research

• Kerstin A. Carlson Le Floch, American Institutes for Research

• Terris Raiford Ross, U.S. Department of Education