A Lesson In Competition

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‘October 1, 2004 -- Competition between public and privately managed schools in Philadelphia over the past two years has allowed all public school students to benefit from best practices and has led to overall achievement gains for Philadelphia students that are dramatically above the state average. The average test-score gain in Pennsylvania on the 2004 Pennsylvania System of Schools Assessment (PSSA) was five points in reading and six points in math, according to data released by the state Department of Education on August 24. The School District of Philadelphia exceeded those rates, posting average gains of 10 in reading and 10 in math.

The gains achieved in Philadelphia are among the highest of any of the nation's largest school districts, according to the Council of Great City Schools. Moreover, the gains in student achievement occurred in contracted "partner" schools as well as traditional public schools, providing the first substantial evidence that the city's public-private school management experiment, aimed at turning around the district's lowest-performing schools, is working.

Pennsylvania's annual Adequate Yearly Progress report (AYP) showed 160 of Philadelphia's 265 schools met AYP standards in the 2003-2004 school year, up almost three-fold from 58 schools the previous year. Outside management partners run 23 of the city schools making the AYP list.’

Does this possibly mean that competition equals productivity? Hmmm, a good education through our tax dollars?! Interesting idea. You see, just the threat of privatization causes even NEA union teachers to do better. Learning anything Progressives? No? Well, go to Philadelphia, maybe they can teach you how the free market truly works.