Will Performance Management Restore Citizens’ Faith in Public Education?

ABSTRACT:

Over the past decade, policymakers have expanded the use of performance management in public education in the United States. Education researchers have focused heavily on the ways these practices and policies shape teaching and learning, but have given much less attention to other expected outcomes of performance management. This article explores two specific areas where more research is needed: whether performance management improves public satisfaction and trust in public education, and whether it improves public oversight of education. We provide background on relevant educational issues and context for the study of performance management in education scholarship. Our goal is to draw additional researchers into this important line of inquiry.

KEYWORDS::

• educational policy
• performance management
• satisfaction

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rebecca Jacobsen

Rebecca Jacobsen is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education and Associate Director of the Education Policy Center at Michigan State University. Her background is in the politics of education, and especially in the area of the impact of public opinion on education policy.

Andrew Saultz

Andrew Saultz is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Miami University.