The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is a performance-based accountability system built around student test results. The accountability system comprises explicit educational goals, assessments for measuring the attainment of goals and judging success, and consequences (rewards or sanctions). But the mechanisms through which the system is intended to work are not well understood. The chapters of this book, written by several RAND authors, examine five accountability models : two from the manufacturing sector (the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Program and the Toyota Production System); a performance incentive model used in the evaluation of job training programs for the poor; accountability in the legal sector; and accountability in health care in the form of clinical practice guidelines, use of statistical risk-adjustment methods, and the public reporting of health performance measures. Although education faces unique challenges, the editors conclude that educators can learn much from these other sectors. Read Less