Historically, school districts have contracted with private companies for noninstructional services, such as transportation and food service, and have also relied on contractors in some cases to provide limited instructional services to specified populations. In recent years, the options available to public schools considering contracting with private companies have steadily grown. In these public schools, companies generally provide the same kinds of educational and management services that school districts do for traditional public schools. Three companies currently operate in the District of Columbia: Edison Schools, Mosaica Education, and Chancellor Beacon Academies. Education Management Companies Have Multifaceted Programs; District Schools Varied in Their Implementation

The companies that operate public schools in the District of Columbia offer management and educational services as part of their programs; the extent to which District schools managed by these companies implemented all of the components of the companies’ programs varied. Additionally, all have activities designed to involve and support parents and students. Six District schools adopted selected elements of their companies’ educational programs or chose other educational programs. Limited Research Exists of the Effectiveness of These Companies’ Programs

Little rigorous research exists on the effectiveness of the three educational management companies—Edison, Mosaica, and Chancellor Beacon—in the schools they manage across the country; as a result, we cannot draw conclusions about the effect that these companies’ programs have on student achievement, parental satisfaction, parental involvement, or school climate.
What GAO Found

In recent years, local school districts and traditional public schools have taken various initiatives to improve failing schools. School districts and charter schools are increasingly contracting with private, for-profit companies to provide a range of education and management services to schools. In the District of Columbia, some public schools contract with three such companies: Edison Schools, Mosaica Education, and Chancellor Beacon Academies. These three companies have programs that consist of both management services, such as personnel, and educational services, which they offer to schools across the nation; in the District, most of the schools managed by these companies have either adopted selected elements of their companies' programs or chosen other educational programs. Each company provides services such as curriculum, assessments, parental involvement opportunities, and student and family support. Little is known about the effectiveness of these companies' programs on student achievement, parental satisfaction, parental involvement, or school climate because few rigorous studies have been conducted. Although the companies publish year-to-year comparisons of standardized test scores to indicate that students in schools they manage are making academic gains, they do not present data on comparable students who are not in their programs, a necessary component of a program effectiveness study.