Books
The Pitfalls of Reform: Its Incompatibility with Actual Improvement (2013)
Written by John Tanner more than a decade ago, this was the first fully fleshed out argument that while the misuse of standardized testing is a serious issue, the issues plaguing how school accountability gets done are larger still. The tests function as a beard of sorts, sucking up all the oxygen in the room, leaving little space to talk about the systems that are the true problem. The bookĀ is as relevant today as when it was published.Ā
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The Accountability Mindset: A Blueprint for a Worthwhile Educational Accountability (2021)
Written by John Tanner during the pandemic, the idea was to make a decade of learning about Benefits-Based Accountability as accessible as possible. The book is written from the perspective of a principal leading her team through the transition of learning to account for what matters. It is has been highly effective at making what can seem overwhelming understandable and actionable.
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