Preliminary Analysis Reveals Strong Achievement Trend in
Edison Schools with African American Populations
NEW YORK, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Edison Schools (Nasdaq: EDSN),
the nation's largest private manager of public schools, announced today that
in its schools serving predominantly African American students, it is showing
important academic progress. In those Edison schools with 90 percent or more
African American students, the average annual rate of improvement of student
achievement through the 2001-2002 school year is 5.2 percentage points on
criterion-referenced tests and 4.4 percentile points on norm-referenced tests.
These rates of improvement are several times greater than the rate of
improvement by all students in the districts and states where these Edison
schools are located. The corresponding statewide average gain rates are 0.2
percentage points and 1.2 percentile points for criterion-referenced and norm-
referenced tests, respectively. The corresponding district gain rates are 0.7
percentage points and 3.1 percentiles, respectively.
These gains at Edison's predominately African American schools are
important for several reasons. Nationwide, the scores of African American
children have lagged significantly behind those of whites and the general
population for many generations. Though this "achievement gap" improved
somewhat during the 1970s and 1980s, it actually worsened in the 1990s.
The progress being made in the Edison schools shows very clearly that the
gap can be reduced with the implementation of a comprehensive education
program and school design. These gains are all the more significant because
they were made in 35 schools across 12 states, a large and varied sample. They
also reflect annualized gains going back as far as 1997 and including all
subjects and grade levels, from K-12, who are subjected to required
standardized testing.
Dr. John E. Chubb, Edison Chief Education Officer, and co-editor with Tom
Loveless, of the recent study Bridging the Achievement Gap, published last
month by The Brookings Institution, commented: "The progress made by many of
Edison's predominantly African American schools compares very favorably with
several other reforms that appear to be beginning to make substantial, though
isolated, progress in reducing the achievement gap. This progress is obviously
most important to the students who are making these strides, for it promises
to radically improve their future educational and economic options. It is also
important for our nation, as it looks for ways to solve an educational problem
that has had devastating consequences for the nation's social welfare and
racial harmony."
Edison Schools Inc. will be detailing its progress in reducing the
achievement gap, as well as sharing other measures of academic achievement, in
its Fifth Annual Report on Student Achievement, scheduled for publication in
late January 2003.
About Bridging the Achievement Gap
Edited by Dr. John E. Chubb and Tom Loveless, Bridging the Achievement Gap
presents solutions to one of America's most troubling issues. It is the
culmination of a joint effort between Edison Schools and the Brown Center on
Education Policy at the Brookings Institution. For the first time in one
place, this book provides evidence that the achievement gap, one of the most
essential issues in American education today, can be overcome. This book
brings together the findings of renowned education scholars who show how
various states, school districts, and individual schools have lifted the
achievement levels of poor and minority students. The most promising
strategies include focusing on core academic skills, reducing class size,
enrolling students in more challenging courses, administering annual
achievement assessment tests, and creating schools with a culture of
competition and success.
About Edison Schools
Edison is the nation's largest private manager of public schools. Edison
educates approximately 110,000 students in 150 full-year schools and
178 summer schools across the country. Through contracts with local school
districts, states, and public charter school boards, Edison assumes
educational and operational responsibility for individual schools in return
for funding that is generally comparable to that spent on other public schools
in the area. Over the course of three years of intensive research, Edison's
team of leading educators and scholars developed an innovative curriculum and
school design. Edison opened its first four schools in August 1995 and has
grown rapidly in every subsequent year.
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 December 17,
2002. 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 December 17, 2002.
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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