For-Profit Companies Getting Big Slice of Public Ed Pie, With Mixed Results
When it comes to showing Adequate Yearly Progress, virtual public schools operated by for-profit companies are falling short, according to a new report by the National Education Policy Center. (Click here for the link.) The report, released today, found just 27.4 percent of virtual schools operated by for-profit companies (using public dollars) made AYP last year. The results were significantly stronger for the bricks-and-mortar public schools managed by the for-profit EMOs: 51.8 percent made AYP, which is about the same success rate as traditional public schools. Overall, charter schools operated by nonprofit EMOs had a better success rate on AYP, with 56.4 percent meeting state standards. There were some interesting statistics in the report, including that 35 percent of all charter schools are currently operated by for-profit and nonprofit "Education Management Organizations," known as EMOs. That figure is likely to top 50 percent in the next few years, according to Gary
