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Five mayoral prospects weigh in on renewing the EMO contracts
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Do we want managers to stay on?
compiled by Tina Collins
Contracts with six private “education management organizations” (EMOs), which have been managing over 40 Philadelphia public schools, will expire next June, five years after the state takeover of the Philadelphia school system. The School Reform Commission will be considering whether to renew their contracts.
To encourage discussion about private management of public schools, the Notebook asked for brief responses to the question: Should the EMO contracts be renewed in 2007? Why or why not?
If
the School District wants to improve student
performance, it should not renew contracts
with school management companies. Instead
of giving millions of dollars to private
companies, the District should spend the
money on children and programs proven
to raise achievement.
Research shows that increasing participation
in early childhood education programs
and reducing class sizes significantly
raise achievement, graduation rates and
college attendance rates. Children do
better when they have certified, experienced
teachers who are provided classroom-focused
professional development, and in schools
that are safe and orderly. Sadly, many
of these most basic reforms, like lowering
class sizes, have never been fully implemented
- to our children’s detriment.
Since the “Philadelphia experiment” began, District-run schools have outperformed those under private management. The “experiment” has raised awareness about local education issues and created community advocacy and political will to improve schools. This would be a good time to quit experimenting and do what we know works.
Ted
Kirsch
president, Philadelphia Federation of
Teachers
Before
a final decision is reached, a thorough
investigation must be made in order to
evaluate the actual performance of EMOs
in comparison to District-run schools.
If such an investigation demonstrates
significant differences in performance,
where the first outperforms the latter,
then contracts should be kept in place.
However, if there is no significant difference
in performance, or EMOs display lower
achievement levels, contracts must then
be terminated and funds should be allocated
towards programs that have helped improve
academic performance for students. Renewing
the contracts for EMOs must be supported
by evidence of improvement; otherwise,
the reasons behind any renewal should
be questioned by students, parents, teachers,
and other parties involved.
Cristina
Gutiérrez
teacher, McKinley School; member of Notebook
editorial board
EMO
contracts should be renewed in 2007 since
they have contributed to the significant
growth in student achievement, especially
in schools that were initially among the
lowest performing in the District. Today,
increased student performance is at an
all time high. As a community-based organization,
one of our goals is to improve the quality
of educational opportunities and academic
programming for students and families
within our community and great city. The
collaborative efforts with the School
District have been positive and we look
forward to the partnership continuing.
Janis
C. Butler
executive vice president of education,
Universal Companies
We
should look at the progress of each of
the schools, hold a meeting with community,
parents, and faculty, seek their input,
and make a decision based on these data
and outcomes. Some of these groups did
well, and many did not do nearly as well
as the District schools in spite of receiving
extra funding. Considerations of equity,
fairness, accountability, and community
input should be part of the decision making
process.
Shelly
Yanoff
executive director, Philadelphia Citizens
for Children and Youth
Should
the EMO contracts be renewed in 2007?
Absolutely - for the following reasons:
-
The success of the EMOs in raising achievement levels in the traditionally worst-performing schools has helped the District’s overall academic improvement.
-
Philadelphia is one of five urban districts nationally recognized for achieving the greatest point gains in student proficiency over the past three years. CEO Paul Vallas and SRC Chairman Jim Nevels have termed the EMOs a key part of the District’s dramatic turnaround.
-
The “diverse provider” model in Philadelphia has become nationally recognized and is part of the District’s improved image both within the Commonwealth and around the country.
-
The inclusion of the EMOs as part of reform efforts in the School District is critical in gaining support from legislators from other parts of the state for continuing the dedicated additional funding from the Commonwealth to the District in support of reform efforts.
John
Perzel
state representative and PA House Speaker
Strategic
partnerships: a revolutionary prescription
for accelerating school performance and
forging collaborative cultures. Research
states that it takes five years to develop
systemic changes. Constant shifting of
agendas and wavering commitments commonly
plague urban districts. We must rise above
this trend.
During his tenure, Paul Vallas has implemented several bold initiatives. His vision encompasses strategic, yet aggressive, moves to ensure authentic choices are available to families, schools, and their communities. Higher levels of achievement, purposeful collaborative partnerships, and improved pedagogy have resulted.
As evidence, 80 percent of Shaw’s students were below basic in reading/math before the EMO partnership. However, through Edison’s data-driven professional development, innovative best practices and tiered support systems, Shaw’s number of below basic students has been drastically cut to 42 percent.
The EMO partnerships represent the antidote to Philadelphia’s struggling schools. It will be the District’s enduring legacy. For once, Philadelphia, renew your prescription!
Sharif
El-Mekki
principal, Shaw Middle School (managed
by Edison Schools Inc.)
Foundations,
Inc. manages three elementary schools,
two middle schools, and one high school
for the School District. District data
show that all six schools are making progress.
Fifty percent of our third graders now
read at grade level, versus 33 percent
in 2002; 45 percent of our eighth graders
read at grade level, versus 18 percent
in 2004. And 2006 PSSA test scores at
our high school show a decrease in the
number of eleventh graders reading below
basic and an increase in those reading
at or above proficiency since 2003.
We believe the District should end contracts with managers whose schools are not showing growth but extend those of managers whose schools have demonstrated improvement in student achievement, school climate, safety, and parental/community involvement. Although proud of our results thus far, we need more time to realize even greater gains and help those children who have not yet mastered essential skills.
Rhonda
H. Lauer
CEO, Foundations, Inc.
Since
the reforms initiated by the SRC and Paul
Vallas in 2002, academic achievement gains
in the School District have been among
the best registered by the country’s
large urban systems. Part of that success
is a relatively new idea in public education
circles: using multiple providers
of education leads to better results for
all schools. Many observers believe
that the presence of EMOs, charters, and
alternatively managed District schools
has both resulted in gains within those
particular schools and contributed to
the overall reform gestalt in Philadelphia.
Schools have been learning from one another
and competing in a friendly way - and
that’s a good thing for Philadelphia’s
children.
Should, then, the contracts be renewed in 2007? The District may want to analyze the performance of individual providers and make adjustments accordingly, but we would recommend renewal of the general idea as one ingredient in Philadelphia’s highly successful educational mix.
Chris
Whittle
founder and CEO, Edison Schools Inc.
Don’t
renew. This year, schools opened with
fewer teachers, larger classes, and fewer
resources than any time in the past four
years - but not the EMOs.
EMO contracts guarantee extra funding streams of as much as $750 per student - guaranteed funding that makes their corporate profits immune to District budget cutbacks. Parents like me wonder how much these contracts exacerbate problems in our schools.
In just four years, the average elementary school has seen the loss of reduced class size mandates in grades K-3, literacy interns, and school support assistants. While the District’s budget has grown, Powel Elementary’s has shrunk by tens of thousands of dollars. It’s hard to understand why successful initiatives like reduced class size can be eliminated. Meanwhile, public officials go to bat for EMOs with erratic performance records.
During a budget crisis when schools are forced to choose between a librarian or a teacher, why are EMOs free to choose how to spend their guaranteed funding?
Helen
Gym
parent, Powel School; member of Notebook
leadership board
While
there are both good and bad EMOs out there,
I think they have inspired a “competition”
between District-run schools and EMOs.
Many of our schools are outperforming
EMOs, not only because they don’t
want to be taken over by an EMO, but also
because they want to show the District
that they should get rid of the EMOs!
I think the best solution would be to weed out the EMOs that aren’t making the grade, but keep those that are. I agree with people who say that if they’ve had five years to turn School XYZ around and it hasn’t worked, give us that school back. On the other hand, if we’ve had three years to turn School ABC around and we haven’t been able to, we’ll give them that school. This way, you’re putting fresh ideas in each school, and sometimes that’s all you need!
Greg
Wade
president, Philadelphia Home and School
Council
The
big concerns for parents who are members
of ACORN are teacher quality, smaller
class size, and parental involvement.
We recognize that there are some EMO schools
that just haven’t met the mark on
those things. The feedback we get from
our membership is that they’re not
happy with EMO schools - but they’re
also not happy with the School District-run
public schools.
But in the public schools there seems to be a recourse that they sometimes don’t have in the EMO schools. The EMOs add another layer of frustration for parents who are trying to get issues dealt with.
There’s a whole accountability piece that needs to be put in place in the EMO schools. These contracts with EMOs need to have a way to make sure that the EMOs meet the mark in all areas of concern and not just continue to operate without government oversight.
Carol
Hemingway
President, ACORN