In recent years, Singapore has loosened its tight coupling somewhat. More autonomy has been given to schools so
as to encourage more innovation, and NIE has the appropriate independence for an institute in a modern research-
oriented university. However, there are still strong alignment among the curriculum, examinations and assessments;
incentives for students to work hard; and accountability measures for teachers and principals. This makes policy
making and implementation much easier and more effective than in loosely-coupled systems, like the US’s system.