School and District Leadership in an Era of Accountability (Hc)

A volume in International Research on School LeadershipSeries Editors Alan R. Shoho and Bruce G. Barnett University of Texas at San AntonioOur fourth book in the International Research on School Leadership series focuses on school leadership in an era of highstakes accountability. Fueled by sweeping federal education accountability reforms such as the United States' No ChildLeft Behind (NCLB) and Race to the Top (R2T) and Australia's Performance Measurement and Reporting Taskforceschool systems around the world are being forced to increase academic standards participate in high-stakes testing andraise evaluation standards for teachers and principals. These results-driven reforms are intended to hold educatorsaccountable for student learning and accountable to the public (Anderson 2005 p. 2 emphasis in original). Whilepolicymakers and the public debate the merits of student achievement accountability measures P-12 educational leaders do not have the luxury to wait for clear guidanceand resources to improve their schools and operating systems. Instead successful leaders must balance the need to create learning communities manage theorganizational climate and encourage community involvement with the consequences testing has on teacher morale and public scrutiny. The chapters in this volumeclearly indicate that as school leaders attend to these potentially competing forces this affects their problem-solving strategies ability to facilitate change and encouragecommunity involvement.We were delighted with the responses from colleagues around the world who were eager to share their research dealing with how leaders are functioning effectivelywithin a high-accountability environment. The nine chapters in this volume provide empirical evidence of the strategies school leaders use to cope with problems andnegotiate external demands while improving student performance. In particular the voices and actions of principals superintendents and school board members arecaptured in a blend of quantitative and qualitative studies. The breadth of studies is impressive ranging from case studies of individual principals to cross-districtcomparisons to national data from the National Center for Education Statistics. To highlight important findings we have organized the book into five sections. The firstsection (Chapters 2 3 and 4) highlights the problem-solving strategies used by principals and superintendents when pressured to turn around low-performing schools. Inthe second section (Chapters 5 and 6) attention is devoted to ways in which school leaders act as buffers byreducing the impact of external demands within their local school contexts. Next Chapters 7 and 8 explore creativeways in which financial analyses can be used to assess the cost effectiveness of programs and services. Chapters 9and 10 examine how principals enact their instructional leadership roles in managing curriculum reforms andevaluating teachers. Finally in the last section (Chapter 11) Kenneth Leithwood synthesizes the major themes andideas emerging across these chapters paying particular attention to practical issues influencing school leaders inthis era of school reform and accountability as well as promising areas for future research.