United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2002-10-29 monographic deposited born digital 27 p. GA 1.13:GAO-03-11 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-11 P0b002ee1803787a2 f:d0311 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-11 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-11 GAO-03-11 Academic achievement Charter schools Education program evaluation Educational research Public schools School districts School management and organization District of Columbia Other Written Product A05401 In recent years, local school districts and traditional public schools have taken various initiatives to improve failing schools. School districts and charter schools are increasingly contracting with private, for-profit companies to provide a range of education and management services to schools. In the District of Columbia, some public schools contract with three such companies: Edison Schools, Mosaica Education, and Chancellor Beacon Academies. These three companies have programs that consist of both management services, such as personnel, and educational services, which they offer to schools across the nation; in the District, most of the schools managed by these companies have either adopted selected elements of their companies' programs or chosen other educational programs. Each company provides services such as curriculum, assessments, parental involvement opportunities, and student and family support. Little is known about the effectiveness of these companies' programs on student achievement, parental satisfaction, parental involvement, or school climate because few rigorous studies have been conducted. Although the companies publish year-to-year comparisons of standardized test scores to indicate that students in schools they manage are making academic gains, they do not present data on comparable students who are not in their programs, a necessary component of a program effectiveness study. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-11/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-11.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-11/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-11.pdf GAO-03-11 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-11 Other Written Product GAO-03-11; Public Schools: Insufficient Research to Determine Effectiveness of Selected Private Education Companies; Academic achievement Charter schools Education program evaluation Educational research Public schools School districts School management and organization District of Columbia Public Law 107-110