Ron W. Zimmer

This book deals with meeting the challenges of securing private support for public education.

Reports an evaluation of Edison Schools, the nation's largest for-profit manager of public schools. RAND analyzed Edison's school improvement strategies, the implementation of those strategies, and effects on student achievement. In 2000, Edison Schools, the nation's largest education management organization, asked RAND to analyze its achievement outcomes and design implementation. RAND evaluated Edison's strategies for promoting student achievement in its schools, how it implemented those strategies, how its management affected student achievement, and what factors explained differences in achievement trends among its schools.

This work analyzes three urban school districts' efforts to improve the instructional quality and performance of their schools, and assesses the contribution to those efforts made by an intermediary organization, the Institute for Learning. It analyzes three urban districts' efforts to improve the instructional quality and performance of their schools and assesses the contribution to those efforts made by an intermediary organization, the Institute for Learning. The authors identify constraints and enablers of district success, assess the nature and effect of district-intermediary partnerships, and make recommendations for districts undertaking similar instructional reforms.

Reports on an evaluation of the legislatively mandated process of evaluation of California's nonclassroom-based (NCB) charter schools. Charter schools are publicly funded schools that have the flexibility to operate outside normal district control. This document reports on an evaluation of the legislatively mandated process of evaluating California's nonclassroom-based charter schools, in which instruction generally takes the form of independent study, home study, or some combination of these two with classroom-based instruction.