Editorial: Time will tell with Edison

Tuesday, April 2, 2002 | 8:31 a.m.

How much of the national controversy surrounding Edison Schools Inc. is politically motivated and how much is driven by educational concerns is anyone's guess. Certainly the idea of private management of public schools is going to divide people along political ideologies. A Democratic Pennsylvania congressman is calling for a congressional investigation of the private, for-profit manager of at-risk public schools, saying its own assessments of student achievement are at odds with independent assessments. Unions almost unanimously criticize Edison Schools and there have been pitched battles in many states -- among them Texas, North Carolina, California and Michigan -- between public school administrators and the private educators. Yet there are educators who swear by the concept, including Clark County School District Superintendent Carlos Garcia. And Ediso n is growing, from four schools under its management in 1995 to 136 today.

A year ago, the Clark County School Board approved a $30 million contract with Edison to manage six elementary schools and one middle school. The approval was preceded by heated debates and many opponents remain vocal, questioning why we would put the educational futures of our children into the hands of people seeking to make a profit, people who configure curriculum and teaching methods uniformly throughout the nation. It's a good question and one that needs a documented answer. Edison classroom instruction is an hour longer than at regular public schools, teachers have been specially trained in the needs of at-risk students and all children have access to the latest computers and software. The schools have been under Edison management now for seven months and inspections of the schools and conversations with their teachers and students have been encoura ging.

Early impressions, however good they may be, are no substitute for hard facts. Assemblyman Wendell Williams, chairman of the Assembly's Education Committee and an unrelenting foe of Edison Schools, is correct to demand a trustworthy accounting of achievement. He is right to say the performances of Edison students should be based on how they compare with students at regular public schools, not just other Edison Schools.

For now, though, we say give the new managers a chance. There can be no doubt that the public system at these schools came up short for decades.