Edison: Parents satisfied

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Thursday, Aug. 1, 2002 | 9:49 a.m.

More than 88 percent of parents surveyed said they were satisfied with the quality of instruction their children were receiving at the seven Clark County School District campuses operated by Edison.

The survey, commissioned by the private education management company, is the latest public relations push by the struggling New York-based Edison, which has seen its stock dive from $16 this spring to 98 cents this morning. An infusion of capital from new investors has helped bolster the company, according to Edison founder and chief executive Chris Whittle.

Wednesday, Edison signed a five-year, $11.7 million contract with the Philadelphia school district to operate 20 low-performing schools. That will bring the total number of Edison campuses nationwide to 153.

The Clark County findings mirror similar responses across the country from parents, pupils and teachers, said John Chubb, chief education officer for Edison. Of the more than 20,000 elementary students surveyed nationwide, 81 percent gave their schools grades of A or B. Teachers also gave A or B grades to their schools by a 68 percent majority, Chubb said.

"Given the rigors and demands of the Edison school design, including a longer academic day and year, we are especially pleased that both our teachers and our students have overwhelmingly awarded their schools with positive marks," Chubb said.

The exact number of Clark County parents surveyed and the percentage who responded wasn't immediately available.

Parents in New York and Duluth, Minn., rated the highest level of satisfaction with Edison, at 91 percent.

Edison Schools has been criticized for taking a "cookie-cutter" approach to education, using the same textbooks, schedules and instructions methods at every school. But Clark County Edison principals say the uniformity makes it easier to track student progress, and that they expect big gains on the next round of state proficiency exams in October.

"We're on a real upswing," said Susan Bernheisel, principal of Crestwood Elementary. "For the first time, I'm seeing kindergarteners reading, and that's fantastic."

At four of the Clark County elementary schools -- Cahlan, Crestwood, Park and Ronnow -- teacher turnover has been low,with between four and nine teachers requesting transfers to other campuses for the 2002-2003 school year, officials said, on par with the rest of the district.

Turnover has been significantly higher at the remaining Edison campuses, with 17 teachers leaving West Middle School, 24 from Lynch Elementary School and 30 from Lincoln Elementary School. The large number of departures from Lincoln is tied to the reassignment of the school's popular principal, Linda Reese, district officials said.

But Mary Ella Holloway, president of the Clark County Education Association, said the turnover rates are too high to attribute to the principal's departure alone.