Achieving "Adequacy" in the Classroom

Abstract

Though the last two decades have been marked by educational reform measures including standards-based reform, accountability policies, and “adequacy” litigation, there is one crucial element frequently absent from such schemes that is necessary to truly ensure that all children receive the educational resources and conditions necessary for an “adequate” education: meaningful reciprocal accountability. This article briefly discusses the recent history of education reform and its shortcom-ings to argue that a genuine reciprocal accountability system—one that provides effective monitoring and oversight mechanisms to local com-munities, parents, and students—is crucial to ensure the provision of an adequate education for all students. To be effective, such monitoring systems may require simple complaint mechanisms as well as training to local communities and students to hold state policymakers and school officials accountable. Only when such a ground-level monitoring system is established can we hope to achieve true adequacy in America’s classrooms.