Getting Schools to Work Better

A compelling study that challenges conventional perceptions of teacher accountability in schools, demystifying the raison d’etre of poor learner quality and learning outcomes. Based on an in-depth, empirical and comparative analysis of two large education systems – India and China, Yan deconstructs and re-conceptualizes teacher accountability, designing a holistic approach, built not on bureaucratic, but on a professionally motivated teacher support system. That learner quality must necessarily be a function of a competent teaching workforce, the book offers a fresh, non-Western perspective on educational governance and is an invaluable contribution to the larger theory of public administration. Anjana Mangalagiri, Senior Fellow, Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi Accountability is a key issue in the field of education. In this timely and original book, Dr Yifei Yan addresses education accountability in two of the world’s largest developing countries, China and India. The book provides a novel conceptualisation of accountability, in which the support provided to teachers is seen as a crucial component. Through surveys and interviews with teachers, school principals, government officials and NGO workers in Beijing and Delhi, Yifei Yan shines a light on support provided to teachers, policy challenges, potential solutions, and implications for accountability. This important book should be key reading for policy makers, teachers, teacher trainers, scholars and others concerned with strengthening education governance and school systems. Prof. Anne West, Professor of Education Policy, Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science