How are the schools in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Chester faring since FRONTLINE last visited these places?
This year, Montebello Elementary in Baltimore was named a “Blue Ribbon” school by the state of Maryland, an award it bestows on schools for exceptional leadership and student achievement. In Chester, where Edison has met significant resistance from the teachers union, test scores for Edison’s second year have arrived. The district uses two standardized tests (the SAT-9 and the PSSA, Pennsylvania’s state test) to measure school performance. The company reports an average gain of 15 percentile points across all grades on the SAT-9, compared to scores from before Edison took over. One school posted 54 percentile point gains in all subjects and all grades. Results from the state test, which most educators agree is a better measure of what students are expected to know, will not be available until fall. In Philadelphia, where the protesting has quieted down, scores in Edison’s first year were less impressive. On a national standardized test called the TerraNova, Edison posted small gains, b
