EdisonLearning: Difference between revisions
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==History== |
==History== |
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Edison Schools was widely hailed at the beginning of the 21st century as the leader in what "school reformers" saw as the promising new privatization trend. Edison claimed that it could run public schools for less money than school districts could, and that it would improve student achievement while making a profit for its [[shareholder]]s. |
Edison Schools was widely hailed at the beginning of the 21st century as the leader in what "school reformers" saw as the promising new privatization trend. Edison claimed that it could run public schools for less money than school districts could, and that it would improve student achievement while making a profit for its [[shareholder]]s. |
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Edison attracted ideological support from backers of privatization and school vouchers, and from such powerful conservative bastions as the [[Wall Street Journal]] editorial board and the [[Hoover Institution]]. {{ |
Edison attracted ideological support from backers of privatization and school vouchers, and from such powerful conservative bastions as the [[Wall Street Journal]] editorial board<ref name="titleThe Wall Street Journal Online - Featured Article">{{cite web |url=http://opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=85000796 |title=The Wall Street Journal Online - Featured Article |accessdate=2008-02-16 |format= |work=}}</ref> and the [[Hoover Institution]]. <ref name="titleHoover Institution - Education Next - The Philadelphia Experiment">{{cite web |url=http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/3355016.html |title=Hoover Institution - Education Next - The Philadelphia Experiment |accessdate=2008-02-16 |format= |work=}}</ref> |
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Edison Schools work on the principle of being partners with the [[school district]] concerned. They are divided into three sub-companies: District Partners, Charter, and Alliance. In addition Edison runs after-school programmes under the Newton brand and extended school year programmes under the Tungsten brand. |
Edison Schools work on the principle of being partners with the [[school district]] concerned. They are divided into three sub-companies: District Partners, Charter, and Alliance. In addition Edison runs after-school programmes under the Newton brand and extended school year programmes under the Tungsten brand. |
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Revision as of 03:28, 17 February 2008
Edison Schools Inc. is a for-profit company that manages public schools in the United States and the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1992.
History
Edison Schools was widely hailed at the beginning of the 21st century as the leader in what "school reformers" saw as the promising new privatization trend. Edison claimed that it could run public schools for less money than school districts could, and that it would improve student achievement while making a profit for its shareholders. Edison attracted ideological support from backers of privatization and school vouchers, and from such powerful conservative bastions as the Wall Street Journal editorial board[1] and the Hoover Institution. [2]
Edison Schools work on the principle of being partners with the school district concerned. They are divided into three sub-companies: District Partners, Charter, and Alliance. In addition Edison runs after-school programmes under the Newton brand and extended school year programmes under the Tungsten brand.
Edison has also made some headway in Britain with Edison Schools UK. Colbayns High School in Essex was the first Edison School in that country, and received praise from OFSTED for its progress in the previous nine months.
Edison Schools bases its approach on ten fundamentals and various core values. The fundamentals include a better use of time (which means a longer school day and a longer school year—198 days as opposed to 180 in the standard American school) and assessments that provide accountability (including benchmark assessments and a structured portfolio and a quarterly learning contract).
Expansion and contraction
Edison's stock was publicly traded on the NASDAQ for four years. After reaching a high of close to USD$40 per share in early 2001, shares fell to 14 cents. The company was taken private in 2003, in a buyout which valued the company at $180 million [3] or $1.76 per share[4]. The company reported only one profitable quarter while it was publicly traded.[5]
After losing many contracts[6], Edison diversified away from the management of public schools and into marketing conventional supplemental services such as testing, summer school and tutoring. Most of its new business involves providing such services rather than trying to manage schools.[7]
In 2008, the Philadelphia Schools District, Edison's largest single client, announced plans to dismiss the company as a manager, noting that it and other private firms would be eligible to reapply.[8]
Criticism
Edison's educational and financial performance has been the subject of criticism. Despite initial promises of costs reductions client districts reported higher costs for their Edison schools.ref name="titleHow Edison Survived">"How Edison Survived". Retrieved 2008-02-16.</ref> Edison's claims about academic improvement failed to live up to the company's promises. A July 2002 New York Times analysis of Edison's claims found that the troubled Cleveland, Ohio, school system achieved higher gains than Edison's schools when analyzed with the methodology Edison applied to its own schools' achievement.[9]
Edison's methods and processes were mentioned prominently in Alyssa Quart's Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers (2003), when some students started a demonstration against an Edison School being built in their area, due to the commercial takeover of their public schools.
Kenneth J. Saltman's "The Edison Schools: Corporate Schooling and the Assault on Public Education" (Routledge, 2005) examines the efficacy of the company and raises questions about the broader social, political, and cultural implications of public schools being run for profit.
See also
- Benno C. Schmidt, Jr.
- Chris Whittle
- Annenberg Foundation via Annenberg School Reform Institute major Supporter of Edison Schools
- School District of Philadelphia James Nevels School Director Appointed by Mark Schweiker
- Mark Schweiker James Nevels Nevels Major Political Supporter of his Political Career
References
- ^ "The Wall Street Journal Online - Featured Article". Retrieved 2008-02-16.
- ^ "Hoover Institution - Education Next - The Philadelphia Experiment". Retrieved 2008-02-16.
- ^ "Edison buyout draws Ire in Florida. - Free Online Library". Retrieved 2008-02-16.
- ^ ""Edison Schools accepts buyout"". Retrieved 2008-02-16.
- ^ "Business: Legislators, teachers balk at deal for Edison Schools, St. Petersburg Times Online: Business". Retrieved 2008-02-16.
- ^ Cancelled Edison Contracts
- ^ "Parents Advocating School Accountability Edison Page". Retrieved 2008-02-16.
- ^ "Plan would bolster troubled city schools". Retrieved 2008-02-16.
{{cite web}}: Text "02/15/2008" ignored (help); Text "Philadelphia Inquirer" ignored (help) - ^ New York Times analysis of Edison's claims