ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE INSIDE OUT: A CASE STUDY OF ISOLATION ANDAUTONOMY

The working theory of internal accountability has emerged as an alternative model for thinkingabout educational accountability. Internal accountability is defined by three layers of interaction:1) individuals' sense of responsibility; 2) shared norms and expectations among individuals in anorganization; and 3) the capacity of the organization to direct and support instructional practice(Ablemann & Elmore, 1999). Understanding how a school moves along a continuum from weakto strong internal accountability is an area where more research is needed. This study contributesto the understanding of how internal accountability develops by exploring the influence ofteacher isolation and autonomy on the development of internal accountability, with a focus onmoving from an atomistic "default" position to a second tier, characterized by shared norms andexpectations among individuals in an organization. The capacity of schools to engage in acollective response to mandated external accountability requirements may be a determiningfactor in whether schools are able to improve student achievement in a substantive and longlasting way.In this single case study conducted in a western Pennsylvania elementary school, a survey ofteachers' perspectives was conducted to assess internal accountability. Individual interviewswere utilized to obtain rich descriptions of participants' experience and perspectives related tothemes of isolation and autonomy. This study highlights the role of autonomy in thedevelopment of strong internal accountability