Educational Equity and Accountability

Linda Skrla is an associate professor in the Educational Administration and Human Resource Development Department at Texas A&M University.James Scheurich is associate professor at the University of Texas-Austin. He is also coordinator of educational programs.

"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 HispanicSchools 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

• 1. Introduction, Linda Skrla and James Joseph Scheurich Part I: The Equity and Accountability Conversation 2. Thinking Carefully about Equity and Accountability, James Joseph Scheurich, Linda Skrla, and Joseph F. Johnson, Jr. 3. Let's treat the Cause, Not the Symptoms: Equity and Accountability in Texas Revisited, Richard Valencia, Angela Valenzuela, Kris Sloan, and Douglas Foley 4. Continuing the Conversation on Equity and Accountability, James Joseph Scheurich and Linda Skrla Part II: The Effect of Accountability Policy on Educational Equity 5. Accountability for Equity: Can State Policy Leverage Social Justice?, Linda Skrla, James Joseph Scheurich, Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., and James W. Koschoreck 6. Response to Skrla et al: The Illusion of Educational Equity in Texas: A Commentary on Accountability for Equity, Walter Haney 7. Response to Skrla et al: Is There a Connection Between Educational Equity and Accountability? Stephen P. Klein 8. Complex and Contested Constructions of Accountability and Educational Equity, Linda Skrla, James Joseph Scheurich, Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., and James W. Koschoreck Part III: Equity-Focused Research and Responses to Accountability 9. Displacing Deficit Thinking in School District Leadership, Linda Skrla and James Joseph Scheurich 10. Can State Accountability Systems Drive Improvements in School Performance for Children of Color and Children from Low-Income Homes? Edward J. Fuller, and Joseph F. Johnson, Jr. 11.Accountability and Educational Equity in the Transformation of an Urban District, James W. Koschoreck 12. Using an Aligned System to Make Real Progress for Texas Students, Susan Sclafan 13. Statewide Assessment Triggers Urban School Reform: But How High the Stakes for Urban Minorities? Laurence Parker 14. Promoting Educational Equity in a Period of Growing Social Inequity: The Silent Contradictions of the Texas Reform Discourse, Gary L. Anderson 15. Polar Positions on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS): Pragmatism and the Politics of Neglect, Henry T. Trueba Part IV: Critiques and Commentaries on the Equity-Accountability Debate 16. Educational Accountability for English Language Learners in Texas: A Retreat from Equity, Bill Black and Angela Valenzuela 17. The Unintended Consequences of the Texas Accountability System, Kathryn Bell McKenzie 18. Intersections in Accountability Reform: Complexity, Local Actors, Legitimacy, and Agendas, Andrea K. Rorrer 19. Accountability for Special Education Students: Beginning Quality Education, Antoinette F. Riester 20. Conclusion: Keeping Equity in the Foreground, Linda Skrla and James Joseph Scheurich