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Schools on Probation
How Accountability Works (and Doesn't Work)
Heinrich Mintrop
Pub Date: December 2003, 208 pages
Paperback: $27.95, ISBN: 0807744093
Cloth: $56, ISBN: 0807744107
 
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"With a clear argument, solid empirical evidence, and compelling stories, Rick Mintrop reveals that the current accountability emperor has no clothes. Schools on Probation makes clear that, instead of motivating and building the capacity of "failing" educators to teach their students well, state sanctions and interventions are more likely to drive teachers away and reduce the instruction of those who remain to test prep and prescriptive, low-level fare. I wish every policymaker enamored with high-stakes accountability would read this book."
—Jeannie Oakes, Presidential Professor and Director, UCLA's Institute on Democracy Education and Access"Schools on Probation details the many counterproductive aspects of probationary status and shows how a high stakes accountability system especially disadvantages students attending the most distressed schools. This book makes an essential contribution to debates about standards based reform."
—Milbrey W. McLaughlin, David Jacks Professor of Education and Public Policy, Stanford University In this era of high-stakes testing and a "get-tough" attitude toward low-performance, schools on probation are fast becoming a pervasive phenomenon. This timely book analyzes what happens when schools are put on probation for failing to meet their accountability improvement targets. Based on research in Kentucky and Maryland—two states with advanced assessment systems—the author explores how teachers and administrators responded to probationary measures. Providing compelling, real-life examples, the author: - Examines accountability design issues, organizational development, teacher motivation, and curriculum changes in 11 schools on probation.
- Offers empirical evidence of how effective probationary sanctions and penalties are in guiding school change and what their limitations are.
- Provides the background, logistics, and analysis needed to help administrators and policymakers set worthwhile goals and policies.
- Offers a close-up look at how educators respond to high-stakes accountability, vividly describing their struggles and emotions.
- Advocates for an accountability system that balances the quest for improved instruction with attention to organizational norms and educationally sound goals.
Heinrich Mintrop is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles and is in the leadership team of the Principal Leadership Institute that focuses on the improvement of urban schools. |
