A Decade of Entrepreneurship in Education: A Look at Edison Schools' Improvement Strategies and Their Effects on Student Achievement

New forms of governing and managing public schools have proliferated in recent years, spawning the establishment and growth of companies that operate public schools under contract. Among these education management organizations, or EMOs, the largest and most visible is Edison Schools, Inc. In 2004–2005, Edison managed 103 public schools in 18 states and the District of Columbia, serving approximately 65,000 students, most of whom are nonwhite children from low-income families in urban centers. Some of Edison’s schools are public schools that preexisted and were contracted to Edison by districts, whereas others are charter schools that Edison helped to start up. Th e RAND Corporation designed an evaluation of Edison to address the following research questions: