EdisonLearning Partnership With Hawaii Schools Continues to Produce Solid Improvement Results

News Release from www.EdisonLearning.com

HONOLULU, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2010 Hawaii State Assessment preliminary test results show that despite spending fewer days in the classroom, Hawaii's public school students made solid achievement progress in reading and math.  The test results also show that EdisonLearning's partnership role with the Hawaii Department of Education continues to help build and sustain student achievement gains.

Known as one of the nation's leading education management organizations, partnering with charter schools and local districts, EdisonLearning has been in a school partnership with the Hawaii Department of Education, providing turnaround curriculum, professional development and assessment programs for school improvement under its district partnership service – Alliance™ – since 2005.

"The achievements in Hawaii's public schools this year are truly remarkable and inspiring, and we are especially pleased with the results coming from the 14 schools in our Alliance partnership that achieved AYP targets," said Babette Moreno, EdisonLearning's Regional General Manager for Hawaii.  "The outcomes are a solid testament to the work done in the schools by the principals, teachers, students, and our dedicated partners at the DOE – who are all helping students to learn."

Initially assigned 7 schools, EdisonLearning's role in Hawaii now includes 38 schools – expanding to 40 schools in the coming year – educating 25,600 students statewide.  Combined achievement results for these partnership schools averaged 55.3%, with single year gains averaging 4.76%.

In partnership with EdisonLearning, schools create professional learning communities to allow teachers in the core subjects to meet several times a week with their respective counterparts to discuss curriculum and instructional strategies.  The outcomes are evident in student performance.

Principal Jamie Yap of Maui Waena Intermediate School said of the EdisonLearning partnership, "It has provided us a structure to follow. I believe we are much more focused on our curriculum now than ever before. The weekly support provided by EdisonLearning has really moved our school along," Yap said.

EdisonLearning's Moreno also noted how the partnership is having a positive impact on those students facing special challenges. "Significant achievement gains have occurred in both the Disadvantaged, and ELL subgroups," she said.  Students in the Disadvantaged subgroup have increased their combined proficiency by 14%, and students in the ELL subgroup have increased their combined proficiency by 21% during the partnership.

"For these students to have a future in an ever more complex world – education will be their key – and we are pleased to play a role in helping them to prepare for their future," Moreno said.

EdisonLearning Alliance puts in place structures that help ensure high performance on an ongoing basis. These school partnerships bring together proven research-based school design elements, achievement tools and systems, professional development and dedicated EdisonLearning experts with a local staff to transform schools, deliver on turnaround promises and make them true centers of academic excellence.

---30---

EdisonLearning is the nation's leading public school innovator and partner for school districts and charter schools serving more than 350,000 children in 25 states and the UK and Abu Dhabi. We work with school leaders and communities to provide solutions that inspire students to think, learn, and succeed – and prepare them to meet their full potential and the expectations of the 21st century workplace. Visit www.EdisonLearning.com for more information.