Accountability and education policy: A review of international evidence and future research challenges

Accountability is central piece in the global education agenda, and accountability reforms are being enacted worldwide. Nevertheless, accountability reforms - far from being monolithic-can be based on very different approaches and operate in very different directions. Using a methodology based on the scoping review approach, this article aims to understand what are the main effects of accountability policies in different educational dimensions. The evidence reviewed shows that accountability policies have different effects depending on the design, the reception and the enactment process of the policy, as well as on the socioeconomic and institutional context of the schools. This article also aims to identify the main gaps in existing literature on accountability in education and systematizes four premises that can guide future research on the matter.