A Study Of Physical Education Accountability In The United States

Quality is the lifeline of education,and constantly improving the quality of education is the eternal theme of education development.The supervisory bodies at all levels shall supervise physical education and publish the supervisory reports to the society.In recent years,China has also strengthened its focus on the supervision and accountability of physical education in terms of policy promulgation and social advocacy.This study,through a review of domestic policies and research findings on physical education supervision,finds that China’s physical education accountability is also at a turning point in its transformation from policy advocacy to laws and regulations,and from demand to concrete implementation measures.The United States is a decentralized country where education is a public matter for state and local governments under the federal constitution.Since the introduction of Every Student Succeeds Act(ESSA Act)physical education has gradually received attention,while some changes have taken place in physical education accountability.This study uses the documentary method as the main research method and uses expert interviews,textual analysis,and comparative analysis.Firstly,we studied the content and implementation process of physical education accountability from the macro level,and sorted out and analyzed the changes of physical education accountability in the United States.Secondly,a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the current development of physical education accountability in the U.S.federal government and each state was conducted on the basis of the U.S.school sports goals from the micro level.Then,through case studies of the U.S.physical education accountability Program,Ohio,Connecticut,and Texas,we further clarify the operational mechanisms of the U.S.physical education accountability in terms of accountability content,accountability methods,and accountability effects.The final comparison with China’s physical education accountability,grasp the current focus and difficulties of school sports in China in urgent need of reform,from the institutional advantages,evaluation process,supervisory team construction,the establishment of physical education accountability four aspects of China’s local development path,aimed at learning from the experience to promote the reform and implementation of physical education accountability in China.The comprehensive results and analysis of the above studies lead to the following research conclusions:(1)The accountability of physical education in the US is a typical local decentralized system,and the historical evolution of physical education accountability in the US in this context involves changes in various aspects such as governance forms,governance capacity,governance structures,government styles and mechanisms,and has undergone a long course of development.This journey has been influenced not only by the changing and converging political mindsets of government in the US authorities,but also reflects the transformation of physical education development in the US.The vertical changes have been from national to state and regional levels,and the horizontal changes have been from "core academic subjects" to"comprehensive education" and from "external management" to "internal governance" of schools."(2)The US federal government,under the guidance of ESSA,provides information to the states about their goals and ensures that state governments have sufficient resources to help schools at all levels achieve them.The state governments,with financial allocations and other support from the federal government,ensure that schools and social organizations at all levels have a common pursuit and fulfil their due responsibilities.At the same time,the state governments,under the guidance of the federal government,learn from each other and continuously develop and improve their own accountability systems,providing the necessary information and resources to the public and policy makers.(3)As can be seen from the current path of physical education development in China,the implementation of an accountability for physical education is bound to address the numerous accountability issues in the development of physical education and promote the awareness of each subject and the implementation of their rights and responsibilities.In addition,accountability in physical education can effectively address the issue of correspondence between the authority and responsibility of the responsible authorities,while further improving the performance of physical education.This is an important factor for the development and improvement of physical education in China.In implementing accountability in physical education,it is important to establish a reliable accountability system based on relevant theories in order to effectively legalize the development of accountability in physical education.Accountability can be a tool not only for monitoring and evaluating the activities of public institutions,but also for continuous development,reflection and improvement.(4)The popularization of accountability in physical education is an issue that affects the whole body.Therefore,the most important thing for our country at this time is to combine all its aspects and elements.As a mechanism in the construction phase,there are many problems and difficulties.In addition,compliance with the existing administrative education system,the provincial personnel system and the existing public culture in China are also top priorities for deepening accountability in physical education.It also relies on a series of systems that accompany it,such as standardized accountability procedures,accountability discipline,accountability reward and punishment mechanisms,information disclosure and accountability redress systems.Only then can the legitimization of accountability in physical education proceed smoothly and effectively.