Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
Should Gender Gaps Be Incorporated into School Accountability Measures? If So, How?
2026-05-16
School accountability policies are central to current education reform efforts, and most of these policies prominently focus on race- and income-based achievement gaps. Recently, though, discussion of gender-based achievement gaps in schools has emerged in research and policy discussions, so accounting for gender-based achievement differences in existing accountability policies may be an inevitable next step. In this article, I offer a brief background on the origins of school accountability as an education policy priority and review the evidence on its effects. I then discuss gender gaps in education and consider how they stand apart from gaps based on race and socioeconomics. I speculate about the possible adverse outcomes and potential benefits of including gender differences in present school accountability policies and offer concluding recommendations about using these measures in school accountability.