South Carolina has hired Edison Schools Inc. to try to improve student achievement in the struggling Allendale County school system, a poor rural district entering its fifth school year under state control.
The for-profit company鈥檚 effort in the rural South represents Edison鈥檚 newest interest: helping states deal with the many schools listed as needing improvement under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
It鈥檚 also part of Edison鈥檚 launch of its newest product: Edison Alliance. Officials call the work a partnership with local and state school officials, rather than the complete school-management contracts usually associated with the New York City- based company.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hired to raise student achievement, and we鈥檙e fired if we don鈥檛,鈥� said Jeff McCoy, Edison鈥檚 senior vice president of development.
State officials hope the move finally will bring improvement to the schools in Allendale County, located about 60 miles southeast of Columbia, S.C., along the Georgia border. The 1,800-student system has been plagued by low test scores and leadership problems for decades. (鈥淪tarting from Scratch,鈥� Oct. 13, 1999.)
Superintendent Paula Harris, who was appointed by the state to run the district in early 2003, said she was skeptical of the Edison plan until she visited an improving school in Atlanta that was using the Edison techniques.
鈥淚 became an instant convert,鈥� said Ms. Harris, whose district serves youngsters mostly from poor families.
More than 100 teachers from Allendale County鈥攁t least two-thirds of the district鈥檚 teaching staff鈥攈ave undergone initial training with Edison this summer, with more training to come.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e gotten off to a good start,鈥� Leonard McIntyre, an assistant state superintendent in South Carolina who oversees the Allendale work, said of Edison. 鈥淎 lot of it is getting people inspired and motivated and on board, and that is exactly what is needed to support the initiative.鈥�
Price of Improvement
The state is paying for the Allendale County contract, which was signed this summer after South Carolina lawmakers approved a measure that allows the district to shift state money for academic coaches to the Edison work. Edison will provide its own full-time academic coaches.
South Carolina is paying Edison a start-up fee of $400,200, plus $327,000 annually per school. The annual fee rises 3 percent each year under the contract, which can last up to five years if Edison meets test-score goals.
Edison is helping Allendale align its teaching and curriculum with state academic standards. Those standards link with the state tests. Ms. Harris said her district does not have the capacity to complete that work on its own.
Also, teachers are being trained in classroom management, and in using Edison鈥檚 technology to check students鈥� academic progress monthly and learn details immediately about their academic strengths and weaknesses, she said.
Edison faces an uphill battle in raising student achievement.
The district鈥檚 scores on state tests are rising, but not enough to make the yearly progress required under the No Child Left Behind Act. Fifty-seven percent of its 4th graders scored at or above the basic level on state tests last year, compared with 19 percent in 1999.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the lowest of the low鈥� in test scores and poverty, Edison鈥檚 Mr. McCoy said of the district.
Edison Alliance could spread nationally as states look for help with the mandates of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. McCoy said.
Mr. McIntyre said South Carolina may use the strategy in other struggling schools. 鈥淲e expect other districts to engage in a similar partnership,鈥� he said.
