Eight Edison Schools Score Improvements
On the California Standards Test
NEW YORK, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Edison Schools
(Nasdaq: EDSN), the nation's leading public school partner, announced today
that all eight of its California schools have made substantial progress from
spring 2002 to spring 2003 on the rigorous California Standards Test (CST) in
Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA). Edison schools have fared well in
comparison to local districts and the state, which also made overall
achievement progress. Edison schools gained nine points on average, while the
state and the districts where Edison schools are located gained an average of
five points each. This is the first year that the CST is the state's primary
means of accountability under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
legislation.
Among Edison's top performing California schools, Edison Charter Academy
in San Francisco made an average one-year gain in the percent of students
proficient and advanced on the CST of 12 percentage points, compared with an
average district one-year gain of seven percentage points. In 1998 Edison
Charter Academy became a symbol in the charter school movement when the state
of California granted the school's charter after the San Francisco Unified
School district attempted to revoke the school's charter despite noticeable
improvements in the school and in student achievement, and against vehement
parent and community protest. Since that time, the school established itself
as a top charter school in the city.
"This year's test results only continue to confirm that the choice we made
for this school in the beginning, and our fight to save this school, were the
right choices," stated Charter Board President and parent Laura Baker. "The
Edison Design works and our children are the clear benefactors."
Other Edison schools in California also made strong academic strides. In
Chula Vista, Feaster-Edison Charter School made an average one-year gain of
ten percentage points and the district made an average gain of five points.
Edison-McNair Academy in Ravenswood made an average one-year gain of 11
percentage points while the district made an average one-year gain of three
percentage points. San Jose-Edison in West Covina made an average one-year
gain of nine percentage points and Starr King-Edison Academy in Long Beach
made an average one-year gain of eight percentage points. Phillips-Edison in
Napa made an average overall one-year gain of seven percentage points.
Edison-Brentwood Academy in East Palo Alto made an average one-year gain of
six percentage points, and Edison-Bethune Charter Academy in Fresno also made
an average one-year gain of six percentage points.
"The impressive test score gains at every one of Edison's California
schools demonstrate Edison's effectiveness at improving student achievement,"
said Gary Larson, Director of Communications for the California Network of
Educational Charters (CANEC), the state's recognized charter schools
association. "The students at each of these schools, most of whom come from
low-income, inner city families, are on track for brighter futures thanks to
the hard work of many dedicated teachers and the proven Edison Design."
"We continue to be very impressed with the performance of San Jose-Edison
Academy," said West Covina Unified School District Board Member Mike Spence.
"We look forward to continue working in close partnership with Edison over the
coming years."
Another powerful measure of the performance of these Edison California
schools is the high level of parent satisfaction, as measured by an annual,
independent survey conducted by Harris Interactive. The average rate of parent
satisfaction at Edison California schools is 91 percent of parents rating
their child's school an A or B. This approval level far surpasses the national
average with only 68 percent of parents rating their child's school an A or B,
according to a similar poll given by Gallup. It is especially noteworthy that
while only 29 percent of parents in the Gallup survey rated their school an A,
exactly twice that rate, 58 percent of Edison California parents rated their
child's school an A.
"We are extremely proud of the strong and consistent growth that every one
of our California schools have achieved for the academic year 2002-2003," said
John Chubb, Edison's Chief Education Officer. "This achievement is a testament
to the hard work, dedication, and commitment that all of our California
principals, teachers, and students exhibit each and every day. This steady
improvement means that more and more children will have the opportunity to
succeed in their academic and future careers."
Edison recently renewed several contracts in California including West
Covina where it will continue to manage San Jose Edison Academy for the next
five years; Napa where Edison will continue its management of Phillips-Edison
Partnership School for another five years; and East Palo Alto where it will
continue to manage both Edison Brentwood Academy and Edison McNair Academy for
another five years, contingent upon future reconfiguration of the district.
About Edison Schools
Founded in 1992, Edison partners with school districts, charter boards,
and community-based organizations 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 132,000 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 130 full-year schools and 200 summer
schools.
Between 1992 and 1995 and in on-going efforts, Edison's team of leading
educators and scholars has conducted intensive research to develop its school
design and support systems. Edison opened its first four schools in August
1995, and has grown in every subsequent year. For more information, please
visit http://www.edisonschools.com.
Any statements in this press release and any other press release issued by
Edison on or about the date hereof about future expectations, plans and
prospects for Edison, including 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 the risk factors discussed in our most recent
quarterly report filed with the SEC. The forward-looking statements included
in this press release represent Edison's estimates as of September 30, 2003.
Edison anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its
estimates to change. 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
September 30, 2003.
SOURCE Edison Schools
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Related links:
http://www.edisonschools.com
CONTACT:
John Chubb, Chief Education Officer,
+1-212-419-1641, or Adam Tucker, VP Communications,
+1-212-419-1602, both of Edison Schools
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