Edison Schools Commissions RAND to Provide Ongoing Analysis of its School Performance Monday, July 31, 2000 Edison Schools has commissioned the RAND Corporation to provide an ongoing analysis of its school performance. RAND's evaluation primarily will focus on student achievement but will also examine key elements of Edison's school design: professional development, teacher and principal recruitment, promotion and compensation, and national support systems. RAND'S evaluation also will look at state and local achievement data for all Edison schools to provide an objective analysis of the progress Edison students are making. In addition, RAND will conduct intensive case studies in a number of Edison schools to help explain the achievement results. RAND, an independent nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis, is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. With a long history of research on educational policy and practice, it is one of the nation's most respected evaluators of comprehensive efforts to improve schools. Several organizations, including unions, have sponsored studies on Edison. In commissioning RAND, a research organization with an unquestionable reputation, the company indicated that the evaluation would enable them and others to have a truly independent look at student achievement data as well as school design issues. The study - which will span the course of three years - will also provide Edison with perspective on how potentially to improve the assessment and achievement planning systems that are vital to school success. Back to News...