Abstract: This study tracked the performance of two cohorts of 5th graders at Philadelphia elementary and middle schools to learn whether, by 8th grade, those attending schools under private management (schools contracted out to for-profit and non-profit management organizations) learned more than students at newly restructured district schools and in the district as a whole. Privately-managed schools were especially effective at increasing the percentage of students performing at or above the basic level. For example, the improvement in reading was 25 percent at the privately-managed schools, as compared to only 15 percent at restructured schools and 17 percent for the district as a whole. Students at privately-managed schools were as effective as other schools in the district at bringing 5th students up to fully proficient levels of performance by 8th grade, despite the fact that students were initially performing at significantly lower levels.
Print
This Page