The Response of School Leaders to Equity Demands in the Environment of Accountability

Abstract

Principals and instructional coaches from four high-performing and equitable-performing elementary schools stratified by socioeconomic level were interviewed. The main concern of participants was meeting student performance challenges set by accountability systems and measured by mandated tests. This concern was manifested in a focus on the needs and educational progress of individual children. Other participant concerns included investing in teachers, analyzing test data collaboratively, intervening on behalf of struggling students, dealing with the current accountability environment, building productive learning environments, achieving educational equity, and maintaining identity as a leader. Participants demonstrated a rather low knowledge of accountability system mechanics and ambivalence about accountability system features; however, they fully embraced the spirit of "leaving no child left behind." They also emphasized many elementes of leadership that predate the current accountability environment, including instructional leadership, professional learning communities, and high expectations for students. Although categories were consistent among the schools, other factors co-vary with school size (performance unit of analysis) or school socioeconomic status (future vs. present orientation). A statistical measure for evaluating the educational equity of schools is introduced.