Accountability vs. Responsibility

Finger pointing and the blame game often follow news stories of lack luster student performance, high drop-out rates, low completion rates, and similar topics related to the dismal education system.  Out of the din, two frequently used words are responsibility and accountability.  Though these words may ring similar in many ears, here is how a Stanford University Professor Emerita of Education uses them.

The shift from responsibility to accountability allows people to maintain the status quo. It does not encourage or push people to take action and make positive change. Accountability only becomes a necessary function of thought and process when people have thrown responsibility out of the window. With responsibility we make a conscious choice to create our own change. When it comes to education this is imperative. The fact is that education, especially at the early education and college level is very expensive. For this reason, it is imperative that we as teachers, parents and educators encourage a system that values responsibility NOT accountability.