For years, traditional school accountability has been hopelessly rooted in a mindset of compliance – did my students take this test, have teachers and staff undergone this training, and so on.

The reality is that K-12 education is the only industry in the world that continues to look almost exclusively in its rearview mirror. The medical profession uses accountability to better diagnose patients or reduce complications from surgery. Manufacturing devises frameworks to increase the viable lifespan of future products or improve product reliability.

The True Accountability™ Framework forces schools to look to the future, by focusing on the benefits that stakeholders want and expect from their institutions and providing a system to build trust by delivering on those benefits.

In total, the BravEd framework considers 31 benefits, divided into eight key categories. What follows is a list of those categories and benefits in the form of questions. Our hope is that this list begins to give you a window clear into how our approach is different.

If you have questions, or want to learn more, don’t hesitate to reach out below.

Does our learning address the basics?
Do we provide opportunities for deep content?
Is our curriculum focused on strengths?
Is our content aligned to student needs?
Is it available at any time, in any environment?

Does our curriculum prepare students for the future?
Are we helping students develop habits of lifelong learning?
Are we encouraging students to learn to think ahead?
Do we inspire & empower students to own the work?

Are students doing relevant, interesting & meaningful work?
Do we emphasize the critically importance of creativity and problem-solving?
Is our learning focused on smartness?
Do we routinely give students the benefit of choice?

Are we designing safe spaces, conducive to learning?
Does our programming include provisions for social & emotional health?
Are we promoting positive mental attitudes?
Do students form friendships and positive social connections?

Are we surrounding students with caring & committed adults?
Do we provide students with effective teachers?
Do we put students’ needs ahead of adults’ needs?
Do we provide teachers & staff with great training & support?

Are we strong partners with our community?
Do we view our parents as strong partners?
Are our students engaged as active citizens in our community?

Are we recruiting and hiring the right people?
Do we provide outlets for stakeholder understanding?
Are our systems aligned with effective resources?

Do we teach with perspective?
Are we anti-racist?
Do we practice empathy in our schools & classrooms?
Do we strive to always be noble & fair?

With each benefit, we need to be brutally honest with our teams, and ourselves, about where we are in this work. Should we stay the course? Are we in need of change? Are changes in the works? If so, how close are we to hitting our target? Has something happened that stands to impact our goal or necessitate a change in the way we work? Each of these questions must be asked and answered throughout the process.

To learn more about the True Accountability™ movement, sign up below.