EdisonLearning

Last updated
EdisonLearning
PredecessorEdison Project
Founded1992;32 years ago (1992)
Founder Chris Whittle
Headquarters Fort Lauderdale, Florida [1]
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
 Thom Jackson, CEO
Website www.edisonlearning.com

EdisonLearning Inc., formerly known as Edison Schools Inc., is a for-profit education management organization for public schools in the United States and the United Kingdom. Edison is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Contents

School districts hire the company to manage schools, particularly new charter schools. In 2015, Edison managed schools enrolling 10,417 students. [2] : 86  They also hire it to provide more limited services such as testing, summer school and tutoring.

The company has drawn criticism over the years, with some client school districts saying Edison-run schools cost more than promised to operate and failed to provide a satisfactory education. [3]

History

The company was founded in 1992 as the Edison Project, largely the brainchild of Chris Whittle. Other people involved were Tom Ingram (campaign manager and chief of staff to Lamar Alexander, who was a former Governor of Tennessee and United States Secretary of Education 1991–1993), Benno C. Schmidt, Jr., John Chubb (political scientist from the Hoover and Brookings Institutions), and Chester E. Finn, Jr. (assistant secretary of education to former presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush). It was founded around the idea of making money from school vouchers.[ citation needed ]

In 2002, the U.S. company approached the UK government and Essex Local Education Authority to develop a partnership. EdisonLearning began operations as a UK subsidiary in 2003 which led to some school improvements [4] until 2020 when it ceased trading in the UK. The UK business contributed heavily to the parent company's intellectual property and was a base for global operations and educational projects in China and the UAE.[ citation needed ]

Approach to education

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, including The Wall Street Journal [5] and the Hoover Institution. [6]

In 2008, the company announced the acquisition of the education software company Provost Systems, based in Santa Clara, California, which was renamed EdisonLearning. [7]

In 2013, the NAHT. [8] (National Association of Head Teachers - a trade union and professional association representing more than 28,500 members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland), in partnership with EdisonLearningUK, developed the Aspire Pilot Programme for schools judged as Satisfactory or Requires Improvement by Ofsted. [9]

By 2014, EdisonLearning’s educational service offerings had moved well beyond the management of charter schools, to include virtual and blending learning, and dropout recovery and prevention centers. Throughout its history, EdisonLearning has provided educational services to 474 school partnerships in 32 states. [10]

Expansion and contraction

Edison's stock was publicly traded on the NASDAQ for four years. The company reported only one profitable quarter while it was publicly traded. [11] After reaching a high of close to USD$40 per share in early 2001, shares fell to 14 cents. Also in 2001, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged that Edison failed to disclose that as much as 41 percent of its revenue that year consisted of money that it never saw: $154 million. By 2002, Edison was courting Roger Milliken for a possible bailout. The company was eventually taken private in 2003, in a buyout facilitated by Liberty Partners on behalf of the Florida Retirement System, which handles pension investments for the state's public school teachers; The deal valued the company at $180 million [12] or $1.76 per share. [13]

After losing many contracts, [14] 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. [15]

In 2008, the School District of Philadelphia, Edison's largest single client with 20 schools (Edison was originally planned to take over the entire district), later announced plans to dismiss the company as a manager, noting that it and other private firms would be eligible to reapply. [16] By June 18 that year, Philadelphia's School Reform Commission voted to seize six schools from outside contractors— four of them run by Edison— citing lack of improvement. [17]

In 2011, former Los Angeles Lakers star Earvin "Magic" Johnson announced that he was partnering with EdisonLearning to set up dropout prevention and recovery centers for high school-age students who have already left school or are at risk of leaving and want to earn a standard high school diploma. The centers would be called "Magic Johnson Bridgescape Academies." [18] In 2016, the relationship with Magic Johnson ended. [19]

In 2014, Thom Jackson bought the company. Jackson is Chief Executive Officer and President at EdisonLearning, Inc. Jackson was Chief Operating and Legal Officer at EdisonLearning, Inc.

Criticism

Edison's educational and financial performance has been criticized. [19] Some client districts reported that schools run by Edison cost them more money, not less as the company had promised. [20] Edison schools' academic improvement failed to live up to the company's promises in some areas.

A July 2002 New York Times analysis used Edison's own methodology for calculating school success to find that the troubled Cleveland, Ohio, school system did better than Edison's schools. [21]

In 2019, the Chicago school district shut down all four of its Edison-run schools. “In this case, the district has acted on a provider who failed to provide a quality education for our children,” superintendent Janice Jackson told the school board. [3]

Supporters of privatized education have criticized Whittle for entering contracts with public school districts rather than setting up completely private schools. [22]

Edison's work with schools in the UK was more successful and Edison was a trusted school improvement partner for nearly 20 years.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

School choice is a term for education options that allow students and families to select alternatives to public schools. It is the subject of fierce debate in various state legislatures across the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School District of Philadelphia</span> Public school system of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is largest school district in Pennsylvania and the eighth-largest school district in the nation, serving over 197,000 students as of 2022.

Richmond Public Schools is a public school district located in the independent city of Richmond, Virginia. It is occasionally described locally as Richmond City Public Schools to emphasize its connection to the independent city rather than the Richmond-Petersburg region at large or the rural Richmond County, Virginia.

The Edison Township Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Edison, in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school district has two preschools, 11 elementary schools, four middle schools and two high schools that are part of the district, serving a culturally diverse student population.

The National Student Survey is an annual survey, launched in 2005, of all final year undergraduate degree students at institutions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom. The survey is designed to assess undergraduate students' opinions of the quality of their degree programmes, with seven different scores published including an "overall satisfaction" mark.

Education in Kentucky includes elementary school, middle school, high school, and post-secondary institutions. Most Kentucky schools and colleges are accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester Upland School District</span> School district in Pennsylvania, U.S.

The Chester Upland School District (CUSD) is a midsized, urban public school district serving the City of Chester, the Borough of Upland and Chester Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The Chester-Upland School District administrative offices are located in Chester.

H. Christopher Whittle is an American entrepreneur who has founded four companies in the fields of education and media, serving as the CEO of each. Whittle Communications, a 1,000-person magazine, television, and book-publishing firm, was listed by Advertising Age as one of the 100 largest U.S. media companies in the 1990s. Conceived in 1991, Edison Schools was a pioneer of the U.S. charter-school movement, launching over 100 schools which enrolled 60,000 full-time students. Launched in 2012, Avenues: The World School has become one of New York City's ten largest private schools. Whittle School & Studios, a global system of private schools, was launched in 2015 and has campuses in Shenzhen and Suzhou, China. In addition to founding the above, in the early 1980s, Whittle acquired Esquire, where he served as its chairman and publisher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minneapolis Public Schools</span> School district in Minnesota, United States

Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) or Special School District Number 1 is a public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minneapolis Public Schools enrolls 36,370 students in public primary and secondary schools. The district administers about one hundred public schools including forty-five elementary schools, seven middle schools, seven high schools, eight special education schools, eight alternative schools, nineteen contract alternative schools, and five charter schools. With authority granted by the state legislature, the school board makes policy, selects the superintendent, and oversees the district's budget, curriculum, personnel, and facilities. Students speak ninety different languages at home and most school communications are printed in English, Hmong, Spanish, and Somali.

Stride, Inc. is a for-profit education company that provides online and blended education programs. Stride, Inc. is an education management organization (EMO) that provides online education designed as an alternative to traditional "brick and mortar" education for public school students from kindergarten to 12th grade, as well as career learning programs. As of 2012, publicly traded Stride, Inc. was the largest EMO in terms of enrollment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of private equity and venture capital</span>

The history of private equity, venture capital, and the development of these asset classes has occurred through a series of boom-and-bust cycles since the middle of the 20th century. Within the broader private equity industry, two distinct sub-industries, leveraged buyouts and venture capital experienced growth along parallel, although interrelated tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in Malawi</span>

Education in Malawi stresses academic preparation leading to access to secondary school and universities. However, few students go on to high school or university. The dropout rate is also very high particularly among primary school pupils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in Namibia</span>

Education in Namibia is compulsory until the year a learner turns 18. There are approximately 1900 schools in Namibia of which 100 are privately owned. Namibian subjects' syllabi are based on the International General Certificate of Secondary Education and Advanced Subsidiary Level which is part of Cambridge International. The Constitution directs the government to provide free primary education; however, families must pay fees for uniforms, stationery, books, hostels, and school improvements. Among sub-Saharan African countries, Namibia has one of the highest literacy rates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Private equity in the 2000s</span>

Private equity in the 2000s represents one of the major growth periods in the history of private equity and venture capital. Within the broader private equity industry, two distinct sub-industries, leveraged buyouts and venture capital expanded along parallel and interrelated tracks.

New Leaders is an American non-profit organization that aims to recruit and train school leaders who focus on improving education results for poor and minority students. It also aims to promote system-level policies and practices that provide support to these leaders. The organization was founded in 2000 as New Leaders for New Schools by Jonathan Schnur and a group of teachers and investors. Research from the Harvard Business School and RAND corporation has found that principals from the New Leaders program have "outperform[ed] their peers". As of 2016, the organization trains education leaders at all levels, in more than 20 cities across the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mosaica Education</span> Charter management organization

Mosaica Education, Inc. is an education management organization that operates preschool, elementary, middle and high school programs in the United States, United Kingdom and India in addition to other countries through Mosaica Online. Mosaica Education was founded in 1997. It acquired Advantage Schools, Inc., in 2001. Mosaica Education's primary focus is developing charter school programs in the United States that use its proprietary Paragon curriculum. Mosaica Education is co-headquartered in New York City and Atlanta, Georgia. The organization employs more than 1,800 people, primarily at the school-site level, and operates 104 programs for 25,000 students worldwide as of November 2013. Michael J. Connelly is Mosaica's chief executive officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlene Ackerman</span> American educator

Arlene C. Ackerman was an American educator who served as superintendent of the District of Columbia Public Schools, San Francisco Unified School District, and Philadelphia Public Schools.

NAHT Edge is a trade union and professional association delivered by NAHT for middle leaders in schools. NAHT Edge has members throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and from across the three main stages: early, primary and secondary. NAHT Edge, as part of NAHT, affiliated to the TUC in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catapult Learning</span> US instructional services provider

Catapult Learning, Inc. is a provider of K−12 contracted instructional services to public and private schools in the United States. The company’s portfolio of products and services includes intervention, professional development, school improvement, assessment, dropout prevention and recovery, alternative education, and special education programs. The firm is headquartered in Camden, New Jersey, and serves over 300,000 students and 25,000 teachers in 39 states.

References

  1. ↑ "Contact". EdisonLearning. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  2. ↑ Woodworth, James L (2017). "Charter Management Organizations 2017" (PDF). Center for Research on Education Outcomes. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  3. 1 2 Belsha, Kalyn (2019-09-23). "This company ran schools for dropouts across the country. Chicago is the latest district to cut ties". Chalkbeat. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  4. ↑ Garner, Richard (25 September 2013). "What business does the private sector have running state schools?". The Independent.
  5. ↑ "Holier Than the Children: Big-city liberals put teachers unions first". The Wall Street Journal Online. April 4, 2001. Archived from the original on June 4, 2001.
  6. ↑ "Hoover Institution - Education Next - The Philadelphia Experiment". Archived from the original on 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
  7. ↑ Gewertz, Catherine (2008-07-15). "Edison Schools Retools Itself as Online-Learning Provider". Education Week. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  8. ↑ "The Pilot Programme - NAHT Aspire". Archived from the original on 2016-06-23. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  9. ↑ "The Pilot Programme - NAHT Aspire". Archived from the original on 2016-06-23. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  10. ↑ "Edison Learning | Solutions". Archived from the original on 2016-05-15. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
  11. ↑ Huntley, Helen (September 26, 2003). "Business: Legislators, teachers balk at deal for Edison Schools". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2003.
  12. ↑ "Edison buyout draws Ire in Florida. - Free Online Library" . Retrieved 2008-02-16.
  13. ↑ "Edison Schools accepts buyout". Archived from the original on 2007-07-15. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
  14. ↑ "Cancelled Edison Contracts". Archived from the original on 2017-04-01. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
  15. ↑ "Parents Advocating School Accountability Edison Page" . Retrieved 2008-02-16.
  16. ↑ "Plan would bolster troubled city schools". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 2008-02-15. Archived from the original on 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
  17. ↑ Kristen A. Graham (June 18, 2008). "Six Philly schools returning to district in blow to private operators". The Philadelphia Inquirer . ProQuest   287660890.
  18. ↑ "Magic Johnson Gets in the Education Game". NBC Los Angeles. September 12, 2011. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  19. 1 2 Vogell, Heather (October 5, 2017). "For-Profit Schools Get State Dollars For Dropouts Who Rarely Drop In". ProPublica . Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  20. ↑ Moberg, David (2004-02-26). "How Edison Survived". The Nation . Archived from the original on 2008-07-09.
  21. ↑ Steinberg, Jacques; Henriques, Diana B. (July 16, 2002). "Complex Calculations on Academics". The New York Times. p. A10. ProQuest   92281482.
  22. ↑ Glassman, James K. (2005-09-07). "An Entrepreneur Goes to School". The Wall Street Journal . ProQuest   399051554 . Retrieved 2008-02-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.