Making accountability work in basic education: reforms, challenges and the role of the government

Abstract

Accountability has been increasingly emphasized as a key to improving the quality and inclusiveness of basic education. However, reforms around the world inspired by this line of thinking have only generated lackluster results. The paper examines the gaps between theoretical expectations and the actual practices of individual accountability measures, and explores ways to bridge them. It argues that the more fundamental shortcomings of these reforms are the result of a partial understanding of the concept of accountability, in which the role of the government is either neglected or very narrowly emphasized. It concludes that government stewardship is vital in tackling these informational, incentive, and capacity challenges facing the sector and making education accountability reforms more coherent, coordinated, and practical.

Governing Cities

“…While recognizing the limits of input-based interventions, it is increasingly acknowledged that the proper use and channeling of various fiscal, physical, and human resources -that is, the effective governance of the education sectormatters in improving the learning outcomes of all students. And contrary to the implicit assumptions made by advocates of privatization that government is no longer relevant and can even be harmful, effective education governance still needs government to play a pivotal role in providing stewardship ( Yan, 2019 ).…”

Are disadvantaged schools slow to adopt school-based management reforms? Evidence from India

“…While the observed propensity of rural and socio-economically disadvantaged populations to participate in SBM is encouraging, it is important to note that the literature on SBM effectiveness repeatedly stresses that SBM tends to have significantly smaller impacts on schools in poor, disadvantaged, and low-literacy communities, because such communities lack the skills, ability and confidence to participate effectively in shared decision-making (Carr-Hill et al 2018). Again, this underscores the need for government to tailor implementation support to schools on the basis of local capacity (Yan 2019), to ensure that SBM reforms achieve de facto autonomy and the intended beneficial effects for all schools, including the most disadvantaged ones.…”

Policy capacity matters for capacity development: comparing teacher in-service training and career advancement in basic education systems of India and China

“…However, many of the popular reform proposals over the last few decades, such as education decentralization and privatization, rarely recognize the need for CD in enabling those at the receiving end of greater autonomy and choice, including local governments, parents, and private schools, to perform additional educational functions. When individual capacity of these actors to absorb the governance roles delegated to them is not considered, even well-designed education policies tend to be ineffective and fail to be genuinely developmental (Saguin, 2019; Yan, 2019a).…”