“You cannot grow unless you are willing to change. You will never improve yourself if you cling to what used to be!” – Leon Brown
Accountability has become a “dirty” word in the world of education reform. Legislators discuss holding schools accountable for student success and teachers discuss the need to hold students accountable for their effort in the classroom and on state tests. But, there has been little talk about holding teachers accountable for their role in student success, and that is where education reform and school improvement fail!
Teachers must be held accountable for student success, but before leaders can hold them accountable, there must be expectations created for teachers. In their book, How Did That Happen? (2009), Connors and Smith discuss that leaders hold people accountable for results, but at the end of the day, a leader can hold people accountable only for the expectations that they have set for them. Expectations lead to organizational change and holding everyone accountable for those expectations is what leads to organizational success.
Schools, even after the creation of expectations, may fall into what Rogers and Smith (2009) call the Accountability Fallacy. The Accountability Fallacy captures a common mistake made by leaders when they assume that the reason why people are not following through on expectations is because there’s something wrong with them, the people. When leaders fall prey to this fallacy, they start making excuses that teachers don’t care enough and assume that teachers are flawed, and subsequently do very little to help teachers understand, perhaps even develop new strategies or skill sets, to meet expectations. Taking this a step further, teachers also have this fallacy with their students, blaming them for their flaws and doing nothing to help change those flaws except to punish students for having them. Real accountability begins when people begin to look at themselves for the reasons why they are failing and stop blaming others for their shortcomings (Connors & Smith, 2009).
When administrators begin to a look at themselves and what they need to do as leaders to bring about positive change in teachers, they can then assume that teachers are doing their very best to fulfill leaders’ expectations and help students succeed. When administrators start looking at teachers in this way it is called the Accountability Assumption (Connors & Smith, 2009). The Arbinger Institute’s book Leadership and Self-Deception, Getting Out of the Box (2010), discusses this very assumption. How people are treated, not only in organizations, but in everyday life; how they perceive themselves and others relationships impacts their feelings, their sense of well-being and actions. About relationships it is reasonable to ask, 1) Is this a toxic relationship (in the box); 2) Are other people being used as an excuse why things aren’t being done properly; 3) Is it a healthy relationship (out of the box) where others are helping colleagues achieve their goals and experiencing reciprocity? When school leadership begins to assume that teachers are doing their very best to fulfill expectations, yet these expectations are not being met, then then it is reasonable to question teacher competence and capacity. This is where leadership must secure the help teachers need in order to fulfill the expectations.
When teachers begin to question themselves about what they are doing and what they did wrong, this is what Conners and Smith call the Accountability Truth (2009). When teachers and leaders embrace this principle and see themselves as part of the problem, they will embrace the effort to improve their effectiveness and they will do whatever it takes to solve this problem. They will eventually get to the question of “How did I let that happen?” and their effectiveness as leaders and classroom teachers will grow.
There is no question that leadership is in control of change, but to bring about that change leadership must live by the vision, mission, and expectations that they have helped create, and must make sure that everyone in the organization does as well. If expectations are not being carried out, then leadership must assume that because they have been so diligently developed and clearly articulated, there is a lack of capacity among teachers and staff members to fulfill them. This is where the questions of “How did I let that happen”, and “what do I need to do to correct the problem” will arise and change can take place.
A Culture of Accountability exists when people in every corner of the organization make the personal choice to take the steps necessary to achieve results. The school leadership team will have to define the results they want their school to achieve (this will probably be found in their vision, mission, and expectations statements). After they have defined these new results, they must deconstruct the old culture. To achieve new results, they must create a new culture that will produce those results. Schools can do this by defining the change needed in the way people think (the new beliefs) and act (the new expectations), which will then provide the new experiences that will help them adopt desired beliefs and actions. The school leadership team needs to become fully aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the current culture. Together they need to examine the experiences, beliefs, and actions that constitute the culture and carefully consider what needs to be changed. When leaders effectively create accountability to achieve the new results, teachers will start to see their purposes and roles differently, defining their jobs in terms of the results they need to achieve rather than their job descriptions. The act of claiming accountability for current and past results creates a powerful, positive experience for everyone in an organization because it reinforces the idea that “If we are responsible for where we are, we can also be responsible for where we want to go!” (Connors & Smith, 2009).
How does a leader create accountability among his or her staff? Data! In the book ACTIVATE: A Leaders Guide to People, Practices, and Processes (2011), Steven White states that data displays provide precision that advances accountability among staff. If leaders do not acknowledge the data that are being displayed, then they will just become another bulletin board. Consider the impact a school leader has when he or she asks the teacher to explain the data and how he or she uses them to modify instruction, or when the school leader points out the gains made by specific students. Unless the meaning of data is questioned or communicated, energy will dissipate, intensity will waiver, and teachers will return to business as usual.
Connors, R., & Smith, T. (2009).How did that happen? holding people accountable for results the positive, principled way. New York, New York: Penguin Group.
Institute, A. (2010). Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box (Second ed.). Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
The Prepared Student 