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Compliance trap
Compliance matters. Policies, safeguarding, and consistency are vital. However, when compliance becomes a major end in itself, something vital is lost. Teaching focuses on a checklist, not the child. Observations focus on what is recorded, not necessarily what is truly learned. Innovation slows, not because it is unwelcome, but because it is unnecessary.
Berliner (2011) argues that high-stakes accountability narrows the curriculum. Test performance takes priority over deep learning, fostering caution, not creativity.