Accountability

How often have you heard this? The schools have to be accountable for our students' graduating. What does this mean? Most of the things I hear them say make me understand that this statement means the schools, i.e., the school boards, the school administrations, and, ultimately the teachers, must ensure that all students are graduated.

This is absurd if meant one way, but makes sense, if meant another way.

If it means that teachers make goals for their students in their classes, then it makes sense. If it means to ensure that the students understand and know these goals, then it makes sense. If it means the students understand that the nearer to the goal they get the better they do, then it makes sense. If it means that it is necessary the student achieves a certain proximity to this goal for him to be graduated, then it makes sense. If it means, with all of these things communicated and understood, that the student is accountable for his being graduated, it makes sense.

If it means that the teachers must do anything to graduate their students, then it is absurd. If there is no accountability by the student, and I will say that if the ultimate accountability is not the student's, then this notion being promulgated by our leaders, our parents, et al., is absurd.

Which one do we mean? I want to know.

I think, everyone would like the former to be what is meant. Nonetheless, I think the latter is what is in practice. I think there are many reasons for this, the most important of which is fear.

An extra thought: there is a reason that to be graduated in this context is a passive verb. The student's activity is to learn, to learn to a degree to be graduated from that degree to another. the student undergoes graduation, the teacher graduates.