Edison Schools Launches EdLab in Three Pilot Sites Wednesday, July 12, 2000 Edison Schools launched its EdLab in three pilot sites: Roosevelt-Edison Charter School in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Edison-Ingalls Partnership School in Wichita, Kansas; and Mid-Michigan Public School Academy in Lansing, Michigan. The pilot followed two years of development by an Edison led consortium of providers. Edison's EdLabs are unique physical environments within Edison schools that are designed to deliver teacher-assisted distance-learning programming to students and professional development for teachers. Each EdLab contains networked computers, large-screen video monitors, audio and videoconferencing capabilities, and specially designed workstations for students and teachers. During the pilot period, fifth graders at the Edison sites received a portion of their regular science and Spanish instruction through traditional classroom teaching methods and, on alternating days, a portion of their instruction through video programming, online activities, and online homework in the EdLab. These EdLab sessions were designed to provide new ways of delivering the core curriculum, not to supplement it. This key point, combined with Edison's emphasis on total integration of teaching and technology, high-quality video programming, and a specially designed physical environment, sets the EdLab concept apart from other distance-learning ventures. After evaluating the pilot, Edison plans to produce a range of EdLab learning modules for most subject areas and at most grade levels. In addition, Edison is also developing a full suite of professional development materials for teachers, including online courses, CD-ROMs, and videos that will be used in Edison schools. The company is expecting systemwide rollout by the fall of 2003. Back to News...