With Pennsylvania Governor Mark Schweiker on the verge of transferring control of the Philadelphia's school system from local officials to his own appointees, who would then put its management in the hands of Edison Schools, a pair of articles in The Philadelphia Inquirer examines two questions: Do state takeovers of school systems work? And can Edison fix failing schools? Governors and legislatures in 18 states have taken full or partial control of 40 districts, reports Dale Mezzacappa, and while such takeovers have been effective in rooting out mismanagement, balancing budgets, and filling supply-room shelves, rarely has a takeover yielded much success in boosting student achievement. That's been the story in New Jersey, where the state took over three urban districts, including Newark. In Maryland, where the state took control of three failing schools and entrusted them to Edison in 2000, results have been mixed. To be sure, very little time has passed yet. So far, however, in one school, scores have soared, in another, there was modest improvement, and in a third, they fell. Parents and teachers in the three schools are now among Edison's strongest supporters, but district officials complain that Edison's contract allows it to play by rules that give it unfair advantages. (Among other things, the company has lured veteran teachers away from other Baltimore schools by offering better work conditions, higher pay (in return for longer work hours), and performance bonuses.) See "Lessons from School Takeovers," by Dale Mezzacappa, The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 4, 2001, and "In Baltimore, Edison fixes schools while facing critics," by Dale Mezzacappa, The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 5, 2001.
