ERIC Number: EJ687661
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Jun
Pages: 32
Abstractor: Author
Reference Count: 59
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0161-4681
High-Stakes Accountability in Urban Elementary Schools: Challenging or Reproducing Inequality?
Diamond, John B.; Spillane, James P.
Teachers College Record, v106 n6 p1145-1176 Jun 2004
In this article, the authors use data from interviews and observations in four urban elementary schools -- two high-performing and two probation schools -- to examine how schools respond to high-stakes accountability policies. The authors show that school responses to high-stakes accountability depend on the schools' accountability status. In probation schools, responses focus narrowly on complying with policy demands, focusing on improving the performance of certain students, within benchmark grades, and in certain subject areas. In contrast, higher performing schools emphasize enhancing the performance of all students regardless of grade level and across all subject areas. Given the concentration of poor students and students of color in the lowest performing schools, the authors conclude that issues of educational equity need to be given greater consideration in the implementation of high stakes accountability policies.
Descriptors: Equal Education, Accountability, Elementary Education, High Stakes Tests, Student Evaluation, Urban Schools, Academic Standards, Institutional Characteristics, Academic Achievement, Disadvantaged Youth
Journal Customer Services, Blackwell Publishing, 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770 (Toll Free); Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: subscrip@bos.blackwellpublishing.com.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: N/A

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