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Since the 1983 report by the National Council on Excellence declared the U.S. a nation at risk, the public has focused on the effectiveness of student achievement. Research over the past twenty years has yielded valuable information about how to improve student achievement for all students. The demand by the public for accountability in public education has resulted in state initiatives. In Tennessee, the Tennessee School Improvement Planning Process (TSIPP) is the state mandated vehicle for accountability. During the Fall of 2000, the Tennessee Department of Education’s Accountability Office placed four schools in one area of Tennessee on the “heads-up” list indicating a pattern of low student performance. In September, 2001, the four schools were placed in Good Standing based on state accountability measures. Was the TSIPP instrumental in the improvement of student achievement and removal of the schools from the state’s “heads-up” list? The purpose of this study was to discover how four schools placed on the state’s “heads-up” list for low performance in 2000, improved their student achievement to be placed in good standing in September, 2001. An evaluation of teacher morale during this time was also sought. Data were collected through a series of interviews with participants at the four school sites. An analysis of the data was conducted to identify emergent themes. Additional information was collected from archival Report Cards and School Improvement Plans for each site from the 2000 and 2001 school years. Findings were presented thematically. Leadership, high expectations for students, time to collaborate and use data were found to be important factors in improving student achievement. Teacher morale was negatively impacted through the process of accountability. Teachers indicated loss of creativity in teaching necessitated by the focus on test objectives. They also indicated that accountability should be shared with parents and students. Recommendations include restructuring the school day to include collaboration time for teachers, staff development to help teachers understand the values and mores of poverty level parents and students, a reduction in the amount of paperwork associated with the Tennessee School Improvement Plan, and research into the narrowing effects of the total curriculum due to accountability.

Scholars contend that media accountability to the public and professional stakeholders has been improving in recent years because of the increased use of digital platforms. Since most studies related to online news media accountability have focused on developed countries, this research study examines the state of accountability in online news media in Nepal, where access to online media is very limited and audiences are barely aware of media's journalistic responsibilities. By employing case study research method with three data sources, this research study assesses the state of online media accountability in Nepal, key challenges for ensuring accountability in journalism created using digital platforms, and the role of audiences in making online news media accountable. The study finds that Internet accessibility, media literacy, and availability of resources are the primary challenges to making media accountable in Nepal. The study concludes by offering recommendations for future research and practical applications.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the information regarding the comparative relationship between the proficient mathematics scores of eighth-grade students on the 2009 state mathematics assessments and the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics assessment by state, census-defined regions and AYP subgroups. Analysis was completed and six research questions were used to guide the study. A multiple regression was used to assess the relationship between the percentage of eighth-grade students who were proficient in mathematics as assessed by the 2009 NAEP and those who were proficient in mathematics as assessed by their 2009 state assessment. A significant quadratic (non-linear) relationship between the state and NAEP levels of proficiency was determined. Several two-factor split plot (one within-subjects factor and one between-subjects factor) analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to determine if region moderated the difference between the percentage proficient on the state and NAEP assessments for eighth grade students overall and in the following AYP subgroups : (a) low socioeconomic students, (b) white students, (c) black students and (d) Hispanic students. The within-subjects factor was type of test (NAEP or state), and the between-subjects factor was region (Midwest, Northeast, West, and South). Overall, the percentage proficient on state mathematical assessments was always higher than the percentage proficient on the NAEP mathematics assessments. The degree of discrepancy is discussed, as well as possible reasons for this divergence of scores.

Blockchain was first described in 1991 by Stuart Haber and Scott Stornetta as a methodology to timestamp documents and became popular with the introduction of cryptocurrency in 2008. A blockchain can be both public and private and is often described as a special ledger (like a spreadsheet) with five distinctive features. (1) It is distributed, with no central database that if a copy is corrupted others can replace it. Although each participating member on the blockchain has access to the database, there is no single controller of the information. Every member can verify transactions directly without involving intermediaries. (2) Transactions are peer to peer. There is no central node for transactions. Each peer stores and forwards transactions to all other peers. (3) It is transparent, with all transactions visible in the blockchain. Members are given access to the blockchain and all nodes of the transaction. (4) It is immutable. Once a transaction is created in the chain and the accounts are updated, it cannot be altered. (5) It is based in cryptography, the connection of the blocks is cryptographically secured, and the last line of the block is added as the first line in the next block. Each block is connected to the preceding chain making the record chronological and permanent. Furthermore, the blockchain can be programmed to include rules that activate transactions between nodes. Blockchain technology expedites and solves many business challenges. For example, blockchain technology can be used for payment processing, fraud detection, supply chain management, and verification of ownership. Blockchain technology continues to gain recognition by consumers and companies promising to disrupt existing centralized establishments while improving transparency and increasing accountability. This special session has several objectives. First, we will discuss blockchain technology and how it functions. Second, we will introduce cases of how industries are using this technology. Finally, we will propose a research framework that corresponds with four distinct exchange relationships: consumer-to-consumer, firm-to-firm, firm-to-consumer, and consumer-to-firm.

Using the professional literature surrounding change knowledge, this study assesses Utah public school districts' response to Utah Senate Bill 64 (USB64) that was passed in 2012. USB64 required school districts to ensure that principals were evaluating teacher performance through the use of a chosen evaluation tool. The chosen evaluation tool needed to include evaluation rubrics tied to the state teacher standards. USB64 was passed with the intent to improve classroom instruction and thereby improve student learning in Utah schools. Utah school districts complied with USB64 requirements and timelines. Districts successfully identified and adopted observation tools that principals could use to assess teacher effectiveness. Once these tools were identified, districts provided training to principals covering the Utah Effective Teaching Standard Indicators so those principals could demonstrate understanding of how to use the observation tools to evaluate teacher performance. Districts then ensured principals were certified to conduct classroom observations using the relevant observation tool, a requirement set out within USB64 required in USB64, to conduct classroom observations using the adopted tool. Finally, districts successfully created systems to make sure the required number of observations were completed on time by each administrator for all teachers in all school locations. Thirteen district administrators who were responsible for their district's implementation of USB64 were interviewed for this study. Districts of all sizes were represented. Analysis of these interviews found that district implementation efforts were driven by a compliance-based approach to the legislation rather than an attempt to improve the system of learning for students. One common reason for this approach is it is an effective coping strategy that district leaders have used to balance district-initiated improvement efforts and annual state-mandated legislation like USB64.

Thesis advisor: G. Michael Barnett / Many stakeholders emphasize the importance of diverse populations’ participation in the sciences, though the motivations for this vary. Some reference an economic standpoint by emphasizing the importance of either recruiting more science workers to compete in a global economy, or of individual financial success for people from historically marginalized groups. However, a growing body of researchers and educators has emphasized the importance of increasing representation from historically marginalized communities in science because their exclusion from discussions about science funding, research, and implications has resulted in widespread harm to communities. The goal of this research is to broaden science participation for the purposes of democracy and strong equity. This work expands on the Democratic Science Teaching (DST) framework, articulated by Basu & Calabrese Barton in 2010. While the original work articulated a theory by identifying goals and practices in existing science classrooms, this work explores the possibilities of using DST as a framework for teacher learning.This dissertation consists of three papers. Paper 1 details the development of an instrument to measure teaching practices aligned with democratic science teaching. The instrument could be used and built on by researchers, teacher educators, and school leaders who wish to use tools to develop democratic accountability in their systems. Paper 2 is a case study exploring how teacher beliefs and actions are activated through interaction with the DST framework. The study follows one novice physics teacher who participated in a DST-aligned professional learning fellowship for one academic year. Paper 3 is a practitioner-facing piece that functions as a starting point for teachers who are interested in developing democratic teaching practices in their own classrooms. The paper outlines the DST framework for teachers, explores how a photo-journal project supported students in making connections between their personal lives and science content, and presents other strategies used by teachers to bolster student voice, shared authority, and critical science literacy. Altogether, these papers offer understanding of teachers’ experiences as they work with the DST framework as learners, and provide tools for science teachers, teacher educators, and other education leaders to develop DST-aligned programming, and more broadly consider democratic and holistic systems of accountability for teachers. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

This study critically analyzes the mandatory financial disclosure requirements imposed on extractive companies operating in Liberia under the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) and examines their implications on transparency, accountability, and sustainability in the extractive sector. Firstly, the study utilizes a qualitative approach and conducts interviews with stakeholders involved in or affected by the extractive sector in Liberia. The study reveals that mandatory financial disclosure under the LEITI has contributed to increased transparency, trust, compliance, and revenue generation in the extractive sector. However, the implementation of these requirements has encountered challenges in reducing corruption, addressing environmental and social issues, and ensuring participation and enforcement. Despite these challenges, the LEITI has proven to be more effective, efficient, and sustainable compared to other transparency initiatives in the extractive sector, such as the Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Coalition Liberia. Through the LEITI implementation, the study identifies best practices and lessons learned, including the importance of mandatory financial disclosure, multi-stakeholder engagement , a broad scope of reporting, and regional and global cooperation. Nevertheless, the study concludes that mandatory financial disclosure alone is insufficient to improve the performance and accountability of extractive companies in Liberia. Transparency initiatives like the LEITI should address both technical and political aspects of natural resource governance, while also considering the social and environmental impacts of extractive activities. In light of these findings, the study recommends that stakeholders in the extractive sector enhance the institutional and operational aspects of the LEITI. These recommendations encompass strengthening the legal and regulatory framework, empowering and involving civil society, addressing structural inequalities and power imbalances, and establishing effective oversight and enforcement mechanisms.

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