Return-Path: <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j04IPSV11711; Tue, 4 Jan 2005 13:25:28 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2005 13:25:28 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <BAY22-F219946DF549F4FF88B764ACF910@phx.gbl> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Eileen Eckert" <eileeneckert@hotmail.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1859] accountability (from the ed. and learning thread) X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Status: O Content-Length: 5047 Lines: 102 Roberta, Richard, James, and others, I think Roberta articulated many of my feelings and concerns, and I hope others will discuss the issues she raised (I know I'll come back to them). To pull one thread from the many in the messages, though, can we consider what we mean by accountability? It's another of those terms that has been so overused (in general, not so much on the list) and so contorted that it has lost much of its meaning. Instead of guiding and ensuring progress toward better meeting the needs of learners, it's evolved into a jumping-through-hoops set of empty formalities that often takes educators' attention away from a focus on learning. Several years ago I began trying to formulate my ideas on the subject, stemming from the thought that there's got to be a better way to structure accountability so that it is meaningful and consistent with improving learning and instruction to meet learners' needs. The result was an article with my colleague Sandy Bell of the UConn Adult Learning Program that will be published in Adult Basic Education, and I'm going to copy an excerpt here: "Instead of outside interventions and requirements that structure accountability as a matter of responding to external standards, efforts in keeping with a complex systems view of literacy education would produce generative activity on the part of individuals and programs; that is, activity that contributes to the 'emergence of a coherent collective identity' (Davis & Sumara, 2001, p. 88). This activity weaves together learning and the documentation, assessment, and evaluation of that learning—at the individual, class, and program levels. Such activity would produce what we call 'authentic accountability.' " We go on to describe how that could be done, and from the conclusion: "We believe that authentic accountability efforts ... are congruent with the work of improving instruction and student learning in ways that conventional accountability efforts ... are not. However, authentic accountability activities cannot be imposed in addition to current conventional accountability requirements. Each approach requires different actions. Policymakers should not expect teachers and programs to fit the actions required for authentic accountability and those required for conventional accountability into their already overstretched budgets of time, energy, and money. Policymakers need to choose their paradigm. Educators need to analyze the factors influencing policymakers. With that analysis in mind, they can plan how best to advocate for use of an authentic accountability framework. Though we have described and explained authentic accountability from a complex systems and naturalistic research perspective, it is congruent with a Freireian approach to literacy as praxis, embodying both reflection and action (Freire, 1970/2000). It is profoundly political, and therefore, to some, dangerous. With an informed understanding of authentic accountability and the factors supporting and hindering its being understood, adopted, and implemented, educators can advocate for the approach to accountability that will meet their learners’ needs." I think that rather than extending meaningless accountability busywork upwards (I don't think anyone was advocating for that, but I add it just to be clear), we need to have "authentic accountability" at every level. Roberta, Richard, James, others, what would it "look like" if the agencies and organizations "above" you in the hierarchy were accountable to you and to learners? How would you know? Thanks for the thought-provoking discussion. Eileen From: "Parker, James" <James.Parker@ed.gov> Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@nifl.gov To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1858] Re: education and learning Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2005 10:54:32 -0500 (EST) Richard, an excellent question. I think Public Accountability should travel both ways (up and down). -----Original Message----- From: nifl-aalpd@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-aalpd@nifl.gov]On Behalf Of richard boone Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 10:47 AM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1857] Re: education and learning >>Has public accountability fallen by the wayside? << Working in Adult Education an enormous amount of time is spent generating reports. The problem being, the amount of time actually "teaching" is inversely proportional to the volume of reports that must be submitted to various agencies each month. But in the name of accountability, we persevere. It seems that the reports are an end to themselves. It feels like no one even reads the reports. This is not just a problem with Adult Education, but with a ubiquitous information overload in the "computer age." My question would be, is the accountability accountable? What is the ultimate goal of accountability? Is it to help the student or to build job security into an administrative layer that can demonstrate the ability to quantify results?
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