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RAND:
Academic improvement among students attending Philadelphia public schools managed by private operators kept pace, but did not exceed, the achievement gains of students in the rest of the district in the past four years, according to an analysis issued today by the RAND Corporation and Research for Action.
While significant academic gains were made from 2002 to 2006 by students across Philadelphia, private managers who were given extra funds to run 45 elementary and middle schools did not achieve additional gains exceeding district-wide trends, according to researchers.
Researchers say that their findings have implications for other regions that are considering private management of public schools and that the effort in Philadelphia suggests the challenges of implementing private management on a large scale.
said Brian Gill, lead author of the report and a researcher at RAND, a nonprofit research organization.
"But our findings show the investment in private management of schools has not paid the expected dividends."
Meanwhile, another group of schools that were "restructured" --- remaining under district management with intensive intervention and a comparable increase in resources --- showed significant gains in math in the first three years studied and in reading during the first year.
Since the state takeover of Philadelphia schools, the proportion of elementary and middle-school students achieving proficiency in reading and math has increased substantially.
From the 2001-2002 school year to the 2005-2006 school year, an additional 11 percent of fifth grade students reached proficiency in reading and 23 percent reached proficiency in math, according to state tests.
The report, titled "State Takeover, School Restructuring, Private Management, and Student Achievement in Philadelphia," is available at www.rand.org.
Posted on February 1, 2007 04:19 AM
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