“Low Trust” and “High Trust” Accountability in England and U.S.: Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution?

Type: Article
Topics: Access & Opportunity, Advocacy & Policy, Curriculum & Assessment, Journal of Scholarship and Practice, Leadership Development

April 10, 2025

Participants in the Global Education Policy Leadership Program (GEPLP) in the U.S. collaborated with the Schools, Students and Teachers Network (SSAT) in England in 2023 to conduct a study of three high performing schools that are members in the SSAT Leading Edge Network.

This article describes U.K. and U.S. educational accountability systems as based on trust level; shares observations of two voluntary accountability initiatives from low trust counties; and reviews two specific school effectiveness frameworks. Results from three schools in the UK revealed that there were several consistent themes related to the school improvement literature, such as leadership style, evidence-based continuous improvement, student engagement, community involvement and addressing equity challenges. Implications for strengthening instructional cultures are identified.

Robert Monson, Ann Castle, Dan Jesse, Malissa Leipold

Advertisement

Advertisement


Advertisement

Advertisement