Chapter 5: A-PEERances can be Deceiving: Superintendents, School Boards, and the Transformation of Intentions

School reformers rarely find that reform implementation completely fulfills their original hopes. In our study, we examined the sponsors’ intentions for, and subsequent local reactions to, a report comparing school districts in Missouri. Since 2000, the annual Public Education Evaluation Report (PEER) has presented data on Missouri districts grouped according to percentages of low-income students, per-pupil expenditures, and enrollment. For each group, the report displays scores on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) as well as dropout, graduation, mobility, and attendance rates. The PEER sponsors hoped that it would propel community action for school improvement. In this study, we explored how superintendents and school boards transformed those intentions. Moreover, our findings challenged the popular perspective that the public reporting of school performance will foment school accountability by transferring the impetus for change from school leadership to the lay public.