ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the questions about educational accountability within the Norwegian context, with a particular focuses on recent policy changes and implications for principalship. In addition, there has been limited implementation of incentives to mobilize teachers and principals' motivation and work efforts. One explanation for this is that the ideologies behind such policies represent a break with prevailing values and traditional notions of schooling, and they imply a loss of trust in the professions ability to meet its societal mandate through a national, compulsory curriculum. The chapter explores how this context influences educational accountability in Norway. It defines accountability policies and practices, and outlines the historical education context, including the reforms implemented during the 2000s. It also defines accountability as the management of diverse expectations generated within and outside the organization, taking into account the different forms of accountability in education such as political, public, and professional as well as managerial accountability.
