At Dodge-Edison Elementary School, the temperature outside is gradually reaching 90 degrees in the afternoon. While most other schools have already dismissed their students for the day, Rob Alderson’s 3rd and 4th graders still have over an hour of class left. They are just beginning their math lesson. Mr. Alderson acknowledges the discomfort of the heat and the fact that it is already mid-May, but reminds his students that they still have seven more weeks of school.
The students groan at the thought of the extended school year. Mr. Alderson humorously tells them to get used to it. Although his students may not realize it, the Edison Project’s four public schools are nearing the end of their first year. The longer school day and academic year are just a few aspects of the for-profit company’s educational model, which is currently being tested for the first time. The Edison Project, based in New York City, is providing education to approximately 2,000 students in Boston, Mount Clemens, Michigan, Sherman, Texas, and Dodge-Edison Elementary in Wichita.
Despite the challenges that private management of public education has faced this school year, the Edison Project seems to be having a relatively smooth start. Local authorities in all four sites have given the company high ratings and have agreed to expand its involvement to include middle school grades in the upcoming fall. However, other similar companies have not been as successful. Education Alternatives Inc. lost major contracts to run schools in Baltimore and Hartford, Connecticut, while Alternative Public Schools Inc. faced strong opposition from teachers’ unions in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania.
In addition to the expansion in cities where it already has contracts, Edison is planning to open one elementary school each in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Dade County, Florida, Lansing, Michigan, and Worcester, Massachusetts this fall, either through charter or partnership arrangements. This will bring the total number of public schools working with the Edison Project to twelve. Initially, Christopher Whittle, the media entrepreneur who founded the Edison Project, had envisioned it as a chain of private schools. However, financing challenges led him and his team to reconsider the plan.
Benno C. Schmidt Jr., the president of the company, expressed his satisfaction with Edison’s progress in its first year. He mentioned that all four partner sites have requested the addition of middle schools. However, the company has encountered some problems along the way. It took longer than expected to fulfill the promise of providing a computer to every child’s home. Some families had to wait until later in the school year to receive their machines. Additionally, the early start in August left some teachers unprepared for the complex Edison curriculum. The extended school day, while offering extra pay, also demands additional effort from the teachers. The American Federation of Teachers, represented by the local affiliate in Wichita, has reported that the teachers are content with the program but are feeling exhausted. Furthermore, Edison’s intricate school schedules, which offer extensive instruction in reading, mathematics, Spanish, music, art, and physical education, required significant adjustments to accommodate more students than initially anticipated.
Larrie Reynolds, the principal of Dodge-Edison, proposed an adjusted schedule that has proven to be more effective for the school’s 600 students, who are divided into multigrade "houses". This fine-tuning of the schedule has helped streamline the educational process at the school.
In Mount Clemens, a suburb of Detroit, there is a lengthy waitlist of over 300 students for enrollment at Martin Luther King Jr. Academy, which is operated by Edison. As a solution, the district plans to establish an "Edison junior academy" within the only middle school in the district next year. This new program will accommodate 300 students. Similarly, the Sherman district in northeast Texas has had to add portable classrooms to accommodate the 480 students who enrolled at Washington Elementary School. They too are planning to add an "Edison house" at an intermediate school, serving 300 fifth and sixth graders. Superintendent Robert Denton has noted the satisfaction of parents with Edison’s programs.
In the working-class neighborhood of Wichita, Dodge-Edison Elementary School, which serves students from kindergarten to fifth grade, has undergone a remarkable transformation. The previously dull and rundown building has been revamped into a vibrant magnet school equipped with the latest educational technology. Each household of a student from first to fifth grade now has an Apple Macintosh computer and a modem. Students and parents have access to the Edison Project’s computer network known as the Common. The teachers have laptop computers and telephones in their classrooms, and the school is equipped with digital cameras, computer scanners, and printers for multimedia projects.
Tech-savvy Michelle Edwards, the technology teacher at Dodge-Edison, describes the school as a technological paradise. She explains that teachers can post newsletters and homework assignments for parents to access from home. In a recent online newsletter, a teacher asked parents to review lessons about time, counting, and money to prepare for an upcoming test. Dodge-Edison created a "parent university" to provide software and other instructional lessons for parents who were unfamiliar with the technology. Patty Kohler, a parent of a third-grade daughter and a kindergarten son at Dodge-Edison, shared her experience with the classes provided by the school. She initially felt lost when her daughter was assigned to create a computer slide show but has now gained the skills to produce her own multimedia projects. While some parents have been diligent in checking the computer network for homework assignments and newsletters, others have expressed difficulty finding the time or energy to do so. However, Sherry Bawl, a mother of three students at the school, has found the computer to be a useful tool for monitoring her children’s assignments, albeit with some family competition for computer time.
Looking ahead, Mr. Alderson, a teacher at Dodge-Edison, is eagerly anticipating June when the school day will be shortened to 3 p.m. due to the Kansas heat. In the afternoons, his third and fourth graders will have the opportunity to engage in elective activities and fun events. Mr. Alderson will be leaving Dodge-Edison to become a lead teacher at the new Edison junior academy in the same city next year. He has received numerous visitors, including Colorado educators evaluating Edison’s programs and Mr. Whittle, the founder of the Edison Project. Mr. Alderson commends the professional treatment the teachers have received.
While most educators at the Edison schools believe their students are making progress academically, there is a need to wait for the results of standardized tests, which are expected to be available starting in the fall.
According to Mr. Schmidt, the Edison Project is projected to generate approximately $12 million in revenue this year, although it will likely take several years before the company sees any profit. He expressed satisfaction at the company’s expansion to 12 schools next year, stating that everything they have witnessed has reinforced their belief in the soundness of their school design and strategy.
Expansion Plans for 1996-97
The Edison Project is currently serving around 2,000 students across four elementary schools this year. In the upcoming year, the project will expand its reach to a total of 12 schools, including the addition of four middle schools at existing sites. Edison is presently involved in the following districts:
Boston
The Boston Renaissance Charter School, which accommodates approximately 650 students in grades K-5 within a renovated downtown office building, is partnered with Edison. The school was granted a charter by state officials to operate independently of the regular school system. Next year, the school will establish a "junior academy," serving 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, within its existing premises.
Mount Clemens, Mich.
In this small city near Detroit, Edison currently operates the Martin Luther King Jr. Academy, a K-5 school with 490 students. In the upcoming year, the district will introduce an Edison junior academy as one of the divisions in its lone middle school.
Sherman, Texas
Edison also operates Washington Elementary School in partnership with the Sherman school district. The school serves 480 students in grades K-4. For the next academic year, the district has plans to establish a 5th- and 6th-grade Edison "house" at its intermediate school.
Wichita, Kan.
The Dodge-Edison Elementary School caters to approximately 600 students from kindergarten to grade 5. Next year, Edison will assume control of one of the district’s middle schools. Apart from the new middle schools and divisions within existing schools, Edison will also open or take over four schools in the following districts next year:
Colorado Springs, Colo.
The district will hand over the reins of one elementary school to Edison.
Dade County, Fla.
Last fall, the district announced its plans for Edison to take over two schools next year, consisting of one existing school and one new school. However, administrators and Edison faced resistance from teachers in approving the transfer of an existing school. Therefore, Edison will only operate the new school.
Lansing, Mich.
Edison will launch a charter school in Lansing.
Worcester, Mass.
Edison will establish a charter school in Worcester.
