This edited volume explores the evolution and future of educational accountability, highlighting strategies that drive development and improvement. It examines evidence on outcomes and effects, with a focus on performative and market accountability?widely adopted and often debated. The book also addresses emerging mechanisms that strengthen education systems, offering global perspectives, case examples, and practical insights. Readers gain a comprehensive understanding of key issues, enabling informed research, policy, and practice, while fostering ongoing dialogue on enhancing educational quality and equity through accountability. Chapter "Performative Accountability: A Close Examination of a Dominant Model"  is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.