Education management organization

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An education management organization (EMO) is a term of art describing a for-profit entity that manages schools. It provides a distinction from charter management organization which is a non-profit manager of charter schools. The terms are often used interchangeably, with resulting confusion.

Contents

Other and older usages of the term describe an organization that develops and distributes school curricula. These organizations in the United States provide the curricula for public schools, charter schools, virtual schools, and homeschooling parents. [1]

History

In 1991, Minnesota enacted legislation that enabled charter schools. Other states followed.

The state or its delegate issues a charter to a school. In most states, the charter-holder has the privileges and responsibilities of a school board, but not the taxing authority. Many states have adopted laws that require that the holder of the school charter be a non-profit organization. As a result, the most common form of a charter management organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The charter holder may contract all aspects of school operation to an education management organization. The EMO accepts the full amount of state subsidy per student. If it can operate at a lower cost, the difference is profit for the EMO. The school may advertise that it is a non-profit, which it is, even if there is a for-profit entity operating in the background.

For-profit EMOs

Wisconsin, California, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Arizona allow for-profit corporations to manage charter schools. [2]

Examples include:

Vendor operated school

In some cases a school's charter is held by a non-profit that chooses to contract all of the school's operations to a third party, often a for-profit CMO. This arrangement is defined as a vendor-operated school, (VOS). [3]

Distinction from charter management organization

One authority on schools, Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes makes no distinction between terms. In its recent reports it describes CMO -- non-profit and CMO -- for-profit. [3] : 2 

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools makes a clear distinction. CMOs are non-profit; EMOs are for-profit. [4]

Related Research Articles

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A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in contrast with an entity that operates as a business aiming to generate a profit for its owners. A nonprofit is subject to the non-distribution constraint: any revenues that exceed expenses must be committed to the organization's purpose, not taken by private parties. An array of organizations are nonprofit, including some political organizations, schools, business associations, churches, social clubs, and consumer cooperatives. Nonprofit entities may seek approval from governments to be tax-exempt, and some may also qualify to receive tax-deductible contributions, but an entity may incorporate as a nonprofit entity without securing tax-exempt status.

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Charter schools in the United States

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EdisonLearning

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.

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.

The South Carolina Public Charter School District is a school district based in Columbia, South Carolina that currently includes thirty four public charter schools across the state of South Carolina. The district has approximately 17,100 students.

Imagine Schools is a charter management organization in the United States, operating 55 schools in 9 states. They are K-8, for the most part. In 2015, Imagine schools had enrolled 29,812 students.

Privatization is the process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency, charity or public service from the public sector or common use to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations.

Mosaica Education

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.

Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) is a for-profit education management organization in the United States. It operates eighty-seven schools in seven states including sixty one charter schools in Florida. In 2019, Charter Schools USA managed charter schools enrolling approximately 70,000 students on a vendor operated school basis.

A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autonomy for accountability, that it is freed from the rules but accountable for results.

A charter management organization (CMO) is an educational organization that operates charter schools in the United States. Charter schools are public schools that operate independently of the local government school district.

Pansophic Learning is a for-profit charter management organization with schools in the United States, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Pansophic is based in McLean, Virginia. Its Accel Schools subsidiary is the largest charter school operator in Ohio.

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is a non-profit trade association serving the charter school industry.

References

  1. ↑ Hentschke, Guilbert C (February 2003). "Trends & Best Practices for Education Management Organizations" (PDF). West Policy Perspectives. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  2. ↑ Huseman, Jessica (December 17, 2015). "These Charter Schools Tried to Turn Public Education Into Big Business. They Failed". Slate. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  3. 1 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.
  4. ↑ "CMO and EMO Public Charter Schools: A Growing Phenomenon in the Charter School Sector" (PDF). National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
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