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In the \.iew of these scholars, the focus on external accountabilitv is an unenlightened
view of what it takes to improve student learning. Interllal accountabilitv. namely school
personnel who share a coherent, explicit set of norms and expectations about student learning
must precede external accountability (Elmore, 2002). TO insure successful implementation,
any significant change must be preceded by time for planning. implementing, and
institutionalizing (Crandel, Eiseman. &r Louis, 1986). Fuhrman (1999) found that capacity-
huildin_r efforts must attend to internal norms about accountability. The ability of a school to
improve is based not only on performance information, on what in common parlance of the
day is called data-driven decision-making. but also from the beliefs and practices of those in
the sch001. Increasing student achie~enient is aided bv knou.in_c current performance levels.
but "\vhat to do next'?" centers around improvin: the knowledge and skills of teachers.
Teacher command of content and how to teach it and in helping teachers to better understand
r\tudcnts' ilcndemic development (Elmore. 2002) are key to successful use of data to improve
rc;~c.l~ing. The c.irc.le has to be completed: re\t.arch has r\ho\vn that in the lons haul. it takes
I~c'ttcr rcaihing to ~lrc~ducc bc~tt'r results (Sirotnik. 2002 1.
I'llc cn~lii~\ia\m 1;)s 17t.rfor1ii;lnce-b;tsed accountability threatens to rran5form the
\1;111~1;1s~I, ;IIILI ;~c.~,c)i~~it;~bilit!. mo\.cmc.nt into the restins and accounrltbiliry mo\.ernent. .As
(.1.i[lc., I);,\ (jut. a ,implc model of' c.o1-rc\p01lde11cc bct\\.ec'n kno\f.ing test scores and
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