Does Administrative Accountability Capture Student Learning? An Arkansas Test
Robert Maranto (rmaranto@uark.edu), University of Arkansas
Kaitlin Anderson (ande2018@msu.edu), Michigan State University
Alexandra Boyd (boydalexandra@gmail.com), University of Arkansas
Every restraint and requirement originated in somebody’s demand for it.
Herb Kaufman (1977, 29)
Abstract
Market critics propose that administrative accountability is superior to school choice in promoting school quality. We use Arkansas school level value added measures of student learning to test whether schools which are less effective academically are more likely to face administrative sanctions. We find very modest, but statistically significant relationships between school academic performance and state sanctions: fully accredited (non-sanctioned) schools are slightly more effective academically. We hypothesize that charter schools are more likely to face sanctions since they have fewer administrative resources; this is not supported by the data.
We discuss the relevant policy implications.