Chapter 5: Accountability in Early Childhood Care and Education

The political climate of the past ten years has placed accountability at the forefront of priorities in education. Often couched in terms of school improvement, educational reform, or choice, the underlying issue is that of accountability: who is to be held accountable for student learning and what should be the consequences of success or failure. One can see this most clearly in the debates surrounding improving quality in elementary and secondary education, but the field of the early childhood education and care is not immune.

It seems safe to assume that issues of accountability are likely to stay part of the national dialogue for some time to come. Nearly every state has passed some form of accountability legislation and the discussion of state and national testing programs continues. The growth of the charter school and the home schooling movements, the continuing political debate over vouchers, and changes that provide alternative routes to teacher certification are all symptoms of dissatisfaction with the educational status quo.