ABSTRACT
The Western educational world has recently been powerfully infl uenced by an inexorable march toward accountability. My intention in this chapter is to explore the way such a phenomenon affects the work of school leaders. I attempt here to promote a theme that advocates a philosophy claiming that leaders must acknowledge the strength of this trend and see the inevitable implications it possesses for shaping choices available for educational policies and practices, while also maintaining the integrity of local cultural contexts. Furthermore, accountability processes seem to have both serious consequences and opportunities for transforming leading, teaching, learning and assessment, particularly in local settings (Burbules and Torres 2000). I employ a postmodern policy analysis approach to examine the nuances of the accountability policy landscape and how such a theory can facilitate leaders to maintain the integrity of their locale. This analysis is grounded primarily in the works of Foucault (1980), Ball (1994), Scheurich (1994), and Rosenau (1992). Finally, in conclusion, I comment on the viability of such an approach for the purposes of policy analysis.
