Plan Calls for Implementation of Design in Schools in UK's Second Largest
School System in Fall '03
First International Operations for Edison Schools
NEW YORK, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Edison Schools (Nasdaq: EDSN),
the largest private manager of public schools in the United States, announced
today that it is working with Essex County Learning Services (the 2nd largest
system of public schools in the UK serving more than 500 Schools) to develop a
new educational design for the United Kingdom. The design, which has been
developed over the past year by a joint team of educators from Essex and
Edison, will be made available to schools throughout Essex County over the
coming months. Based on Edison's US experience, the new design will offer an
integrated approach and system of support to dramatically improve student
performance and teacher instruction.
"We view this as an exciting opportunity for Edison to make a real
difference in the lives of children in Essex County and, ultimately,
throughout the UK. The co-development process has been a partnership in every
sense of the word," said Jim Howland, Edison's Chief Development Officer.
"International expansion has always been part of Edison's strategic plan and
partnering with an innovative LEA such as Essex has given us a terrific
start."
In the next couple of months, Head Teachers and Governing Bodies in Essex
will have the opportunity to learn more about the design and determine whether
or not they want to purchase it for their schools. While the design is based
on the fundamentals of the Edison Schools US model, it has been significantly
adapted to meet the needs and priorities of Essex and UK schools.
"This represents a good beginning to what we expect will be a long and
productive partnership," said Iris Pummell, Cabinet Member for Children's
Services and Schools. "Several of us have visited Edison Schools in the
United States, and we were very impressed with what we saw. The combination
of Edison and Essex is a very powerful one and we are very pleased to be part
of the co-development process. We also believe that the design has enormous
potential for our schools."
Edison and Essex anticipate the exact number of participating schools to
be announced within 90 days.
About Edison
Founded in 1992, Edison partners with school districts and charter boards
to raise student achievement through its research-based school design, aligned
assessment systems, interactive professional development, integrated use of
technology and other proven program features. Edison students are achieving
annual academic gains well above national norms. Edison Schools now serves
more than 110,000 public school students in over 20 states through four
different business channels: (1) the management of schools for school
districts, (2) charter schools, (3) summer and after-school programs, and (4)
achievement management solutions for school systems. The company operates
150 full-year schools and 178 summer schools.
Between 1992 and 1995 and in on-going efforts, Edison's team of leading
educators and scholars have conducted intensive research to develop its school
design and support systems. Edison opened its first four schools in August
1995, and has grown rapidly in every subsequent year. For more information,
please visit http://www.edisonschools.com .
Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and
prospects for Edison, including statements about Edison's future financial
results and other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates,"
"plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions, constitute
forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from
those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various
important factors, including that Edison could lose revenue if it is unable to
enroll enough students or to attract and retain enough principals and
teachers, Edison's management agreements involve financial risk and are
terminable under specified circumstances prior to their expiration, Edison
could be come liable for its charter schools' financial obligations and other
factors discussed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the
SEC on September 30, 2002. In addition, the forward-looking statements
included in this press release represent Edison's estimates as of January 13,
2003. Edison anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause
Edison's estimates to change. However, while Edison may elect to update these
forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Edison specifically
disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should
not be relied upon as representing Edison's estimates or views as of any date
subsequent to January 13, 2003.
SOURCE Edison Schools
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Related links:
http://www.edisonschools.com
CONTACT:
Adam Tucker, VP Communications of Edison
Schools, +1-212-419-1602
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