Focus on students, not "accountability"

Accountability seems in theory like a good thing to ensure that teaching is happening. But if this is tied to a narrow definition of teaching, then stress on accountability may in itself limit the possibilities of supportive and caring connections with students. Professionals expressed concern that increased bureaucracy and complex record-keeping systems were limiting the possibilities for connection with students. And I heard from students that lack of access to concerned and caring professionals told them that they were not valued. Just as I was hearing from students that it was essential that someone follows up and tries to draw students back in at the point when they begin to skip school, I also learned that attendance counsellors were being cut. When I asked a guidance counsellor what the process is for following up on students who are skipping, she sounded frustrated:

Well, with things like the attendance - we used to have an attendance counsellor but now we don't. And I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen, because of downsizing - as a matter of fact, I have one student, I got a note from a teacher that he has not been attending, and I think the principal actually called home to talk with the family, but the student is still not coming to school. And usually then we would have had the attendance counsellor try to negotiate something with the family and at least get the student connected back to the school and look at alternatives. Now we don't have that, and we have to now make referrals to the head of the social work department. That person then has to decide whether or not it is worthy of having our social worker take this case on. But I think that he would have to in this case because this student is under the age of sixteen. But it's now becoming very, very bureaucratic before we can access any help. (K. Silke)

The shift away from attendance counsellors is more acute because it is happening when other supports have already been cut back: there are already fewer social workers, guidance counsellors and vice-principals in most schools.

Similarly, guidance counsellors spoke about being so tied up with record-keeping that they were less able to run programs for "at-risk" students or even be out in the halls engaging with students:

...And then we ran smaller groups for students that were creating a problem in a class. And you know, all of those things I think were helpful in the sense that the student felt that - I don't want to say they were special, but they were being addressed in a positive way, and we were trying to work with them to help them so that they can function better in school.