Prior to the current emphasis on data and accountability in schools, some school leaders and education researchers focused on [[Standards based reform|standards-based reform [link to article]] in education. From the idea of creating standards comes accountability, the idea that schools should report on their ability to meet the designated standards ([[Richard Elmore|Elmore]], 2000). Late in the last century and in the early 2000’s, an increased emphasis on accountability in public organizations made its way into the realm of education. With the passing of the [[No Child Left Behind Act|No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act]] in 2001 came laws requiring schools to provide information to the public concerning the quality of education provided to students. To be able to provide such data, states were mandated to create accountability measures and and yearly assessments to gauge the effectiveness of schools in meeting those measures (Moriarty, 2013, LaRocque, 2007). Following NCLB, more recent legislation under the [[Race to the Top|Race to the Top Act]] further pushed states to use data gathering and reporting to demonstrate school’s ability to meet the demands of the public. Embedded in both NCLB and the Race to the Top Act is an assumption that the collection and use of data can leads to increased student performance (Kennedy and Datnow, 2011).
