Chapter 9: The Weight of Accountability on Educators

Generating a period of public education excitement, 1983’s A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform prompted the field to take bold steps to appraise K–12 education systems at all levels (American Institutes for Research, 2013; Gardner et al., 1983; Jones, 2009; Kamenetz, 2018). The publication criticized the education system for its inability to provide equitable experiences for all students. One primary area of contention encapsulated the concept of teacher effectiveness and the efficacy of its measurement and evaluation (Kamenetz, 2018). More than ever, public policy began to articulate how teachers’ effectiveness, which served as an underlying premise of student success, should be measured. More defined organizational structures were erected across the country, shaping processes to measure teacher value and, ultimately, daily practices accompanying their work environment.