ABSTRACT
Recent discourse on state accountability systems unfortunately appears to have devolved into a strict dichotomy in which accountability is either “all good” or “all bad.” Of particular concern in these polarized debates are questions of equity, notably in what ways accountability systems affect the education of low-income children of all races, but especially children of color. For example, the Texas accountability system, which has recently been the most widely discussed system, is purported to be either a “miracle” or an “illusion” with regard to its effects on low-income children (see, for example Orfield & Wald, 2000; Haney, 2000). What is more, each side has actual data to support its conclusions.
