Accountability, a cornerstone of contemporary education policy, is increasingly characterized by external monitoring and an emphasis on outcomes or results. Largely absent in discussions of accountability are the voices of stakeholders who work, learn, and teach in schools and other educational institutions. This article highlights the critical importance of structured democratic voice. This process involves enabling diverse education stakeholders to make use of organized opportunities to articulate their views, especially in discussions of planning and evaluation, in ways that their concerns are heard and valued. Using illustrative examples at the regional, national, and local level, this article discusses how structured democratic voice can help re-imagine approaches to accountability while strengthening the enabling environment, increasing trust in the system, and improving policy ownership. Notwithstanding the challenges of building local capacity and sustaining political commitment, this article highlights the important consequences of implementing a process of structured democratic voice: in particular, sustaining educational reforms over time and meeting ambitious collective goals in education.

中文翻译：

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加强教育问责制：结构化民主声音的重要性

问责制是当代教育政策的基石，其特点是越来越多地受到外部监督和对成果的重视。在学校和其他教育机构中工作，学习和教授的利益相关者的声音几乎没有出现在问责制的讨论中。本文强调了结构化民主声音的至关重要性。这个过程涉及使多样化的教育利益相关者能够利用有组织的机会，表达他们的观点，尤其是在计划和评估的讨论中，以表达和重视他们的关注的方式。本文使用区域，国家和地方级别的说明性示例，讨论了结构化的民主声音如何在增强有利的环境，增加对系统的信任并改善政策所有权的同时，帮助重新构想问责制。尽管在建设地方能力和维持政治承诺方面面临挑战，但本文强调了实施结构化的民主声音过程的重要后果：特别是随着时间的推移持续进行教育改革并实现教育中宏伟的集体目标。