Participants in the Global Education Policy Leadership Program (GEPLP) in the U.S. collaborated with the Schools, Students and Teachers Network (SSAT) in England in 2023 to conduct a study of three high performing schools that are members in the SSAT Leading Edge Network. This article describes U.K. and U.S. educational accountability systems as based on trust level; shares observations of two voluntary accountability initiatives from low trust counties; and reviews two specific school effectiveness frameworks. Results from three schools in the UK revealed that there were several consistent themes related to the school improvement literature, such as leadership style, evidence-based continuous improvement, student engagement, community involvement and addressing equity challenges. Implications for strengthening instructional cultures are identified.