What was the position of the local unions on involving a private management firm?
They reacted very positively and constructively. That s because we view teachers as partners. Before we made any decisions, we went to our teacher s union leaders and asked them about partnering with Edison. We then set our sights on working through the contractual issues that would have to be agreed upon for Edison to implement its program, while simultaneously providing securities that the unions felt were necessary for their members. What type of objective measurements do you use in assessing the Edison Project s success or failure? We use many assessments. The contract with Edison requires that any measures we re currently using to assess student achievement, such as national norm testing and state examinations, continue. Edison is also doing independent measures. It has hired a private firm, Gordon Black & Associates, to guage customer satisfaction. The firm will survey Edison parents, students, and staff members about the program. That feedback will then be used by Edison to iden
