Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations: 2007-2008

Education management organizations, or EMOs, emerged in the early 1990s in the context of widespread interest in so-called market-based school reform proposals. Proponents of EMOs claim that they will bring a much-needed dose of entrepreneurial spirit and a competitive ethos to public education. Opponents worry that outsourcing to EMOs will result in already limited school resources being redirected for service fees and/or profits for another layer of administration. Opponents also have expressed concerns about public bodies relinquishing control or ownership of schools. The data in the annual Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations reports describe general trends in the for-profit EMO industry over time. They are intended for a broad audience including policymakers, educators, school district officials, and school board members who may use this information to learn more about current or potential contractors. Investors, persons involved in the education industry, and employees of EMOs may use Profiles reports to track changes, strategize for growth, and plan investments. Finally, Profiles reports are important resources for journalists, researchers, and anyone who seeks to study and learn about education management organizations

Profiles of For-Profit Educational Management Organizations: 2008-2009

Education management organizations, or EMOs, emerged in the early 1990s in the context of widespread interest in so-called market-based school reform proposals. Wall Street analysts coined the term EMO as an analogue to health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Proponents of EMOs claim that they bring a much needed dose of entrepreneurial spirit and a competitive ethos to public education. Opponents argue that outsourcing to EMOs results in already limited school resources being redirected for service fees, profits, or both while creating another layer of administration. Opponents also have expressed concerns about the implications of public bodies relinquishing control or ownership of schools. Profiles reports are comprehensive digests of data on education management organizations. Analysis and interpretation of the data in this report are, for the most part, limited to describing general trends over time. The report is intended for a broad audience. Policymakers, educators, school district officials, and school board members may use this information to learn more about current or potential contractors. Investors, persons involved in the education industry, and employees of EMOs may find it useful in tracking changes, strategizing for growth, and planning investments. Journalists and researchers who study and seek to learn more about education management organizations may also find much here to interest them

Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations: Twelfth Annual Report - 2009-2010

The 2009-2010 school year marked another year of relatively slow growth in the for-profit education management industry. The greatest increase in profiled companies occurred in the category of small EMOs (i.e., EMOs that manage three or fewer schools). We believe our key finding from the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 report, i.e., that the growth of the EMO sector is slowing, still holds true for the 2009-2010 academic year overall. While the number of new schools under for-profit EMO management has slowed, the enrollments in these schools continue to grow at a more rapid pace. This Profiles report shows that generally large for-profit EMOs are managing fewer schools, and that small and medium for-profit EMOs are growing. While past annual Profiles reports have focused on descriptive data related to the number of EMOs and schools under EMO management, this year’s report adds new variables on school performance as measured by federal or state rating systems

Schools in the U.S. 2015: Politics, Performance, Policy, and Research Evidence

This report is the third of a series of annual reports by the National Education Policy Center (NEPC) on virtual education in the U.S. The NEPC reports contribute to the existing evidence and discourse on virtual education by providing an objective analysis of the evolution and performance of full-time, publicly funded K-12 virtual schools. Specifically, the NEPC reports: analyze the universe of proposed state bills related to virtual education; assess the research evidence that bears on K-12 virtual teaching and learning; describe the policy issues raised by available evidence; analyze the growth and performance of full-time virtual schools; and, offer recommendations for future research

Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations: 2006-2007

This annual report, in its ninth edition, found that, despite repeated requests, several large, publicly funded Education Management Organizations (EMOs) failed to provide information about their schools or finances when queried by researchers. The data collected in the report suggest that the number of charter schools overall has increased and the number of EMO-run charter schools has stabilized or declined slightly. The number of students enrolled in charter schools has shown a slight decrease. The report is the most comprehensive resource on the for-profit education management industry

Contributions for post–occupation evaluation : an approach through the users perception of social housing

Avaliações Pós–Ocupação têm sido desenvolvidas buscando investigar a qualidade do produto habitação de interesse social que está sendo entregue aos usuários. A análise do número de avaliações desenvolvidas no meio acadêmico e a verificação dos problemas identificados ao longo dos anos têm evidenciado que as informações obtidas por meio dessas avaliações não estão sendo devidamente consideradas para melhoria de futuros empreendimentos habitacionais de interesse social. Nesse contexto, a área de marketing tem sido identificada com potencial para subsidiar melhorias no processo de desenvolvimento das APOs por meio da abordagem dos conceitos de satisfação e de retenção (ou permanência). O principal objetivo desta pesquisa é propor contribuições para Avaliação Pós– Ocupação (APO) em empreendimentos habitacionais de interesse social (EHIS), a partir da análise conjunta da satisfação e da retenção dos usuários (moradores). A população–alvo desta pesquisa faz parte do empreendimento habitacional de interesse social Bela Vista pertencente ao Programa Integrado Entrada da Cidade (PIEC), em Porto Alegre/RS. O processo de pesquisa envolveu a construção do questionário, planejamento amostral, coleta e análise de dados. A principal contribuição desta pesquisa está relacionada à abordagem conjunta de tais conceitos, o que permitiu uma compreensão mais aprofundada acerca da percepção dos usuários. Ainda, os resultados aqui apontados, permitiram evidenciar a clara relação entre os conceitos de satisfação e de retenção (ou permanência) dos usuários de empreendimentos habitacionais de interesse social.Post–Occupancy Evaluation have been developed seeking to investigate the quality of the housing product of social interest that is being delivered to users. The analysis of the number of evaluations carried out in the academic environment and the verification of the problems identified over the years have shown that the information obtained through these assessments is not being properly considered for the improvement of future housing projects of social interest. In this context, the marketing area has been identified with the potential to subsidize improvements in the process of developing the APOs by approaching the concepts of satisfaction and retention (or permanence). The main objective of this research is to propose contributions to Post–Occupancy Evaluation (APO) in Housing Projects of Social Interest (EHIS in Portuguese), based on a joint analysis of the satisfaction and retention of users (residents). The target population of this research is part of the Bela Vista social interest housing project belonging to the Integrated City Entrance Program (PIEC in Portuguese), in Porto Alegre / RS. The research process involved the construction of the questionnaire, sample planning, data collection and analysis. The main contribution of this research is related to the joint approach of such concepts, which allowed a deeper understanding about the users' perception. Moreover, the results indicated the clear relationship between the concepts of satisfaction and retention (or permanence) of users´ housing social

Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2014: Politics, Performance, Policy, and Research Evidence

This second annual report in a series on virtual education is organized in three major sections. Section I examines the policy and political landscape associated with virtual schooling and describes the current state of affairs related to finance and governance, instructional program quality, and teacher quality. The authors analyze to what extent, if any, policy in the past year has moved toward or away from the 2013 recommendations. Section II reviews the research relevant to virtual schools. It finds that despite considerable enthusiasm for virtual education in some quarters, there is little credible research to support virtual schools&rsquo; practices or to justify ongoing calls for ever-greater expansion. Section III provides a descriptive overview of full-time virtual schools and their expansion based on data gathered from state, corporate, and organizational sources. Details on enrollment include the student characteristics of race/ethnicity, sex, free and reduced- price lunch eligibility, special education designation, ELL status, and grade level. Other information includes student-teacher ratios. In addition, details on student achievement include Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) ratings, state ratings, and graduation rates.</p

Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2015: Politics, Performance, Policy, and Research Evidence

This 2015 report is third in a series of annual reports on virtual education in the U.S.. It is organized in three major sections. Section I examines the policy and political landscape associated with virtual schooling and describes the current state of affairs related to finance and governance, instructional program quality, and teacher quality. The authors analyze to what extent, if any, policy in the past year has moved toward or away from their 2014 recommendations. Based on an analysis of legislative development across all states, the authors find that troubling issues continue to outpace informed policy. Section II reviews the research relevant to virtual schools. It finds that despite considerable enthusiasm for virtual education in some quarters, there is little credible research to support virtual schools’ practices or to justify ongoing calls for ever greater expansion. The authors find that even as research on virtual schooling has increased, there is still little high-quality evidence that justifies ongoing calls for the expansion of virtual schools. Section III provides a descriptive census of full-time virtual schools and their expansion based on data gathered from state, corporate and organizational sources. Details on enrollment include the student characteristics of race/ethnicity, sex, free and reduced lunch eligibility, special education designation, ELL status, and grade level. Other information includes student-teacher ratios. In addition, details on student achievement include Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) ratings, state ratings, and graduation rates

Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2013: Politics, Performance, Policy, and Research Evidence

This national study, which comprehensively reviews 311 virtual schools operating in the United States, finds serious and systemic problems with the nation’s full-time cyber schools. Despite virtual schools’ track record of students falling behind their peers academically or dropping-out at higher rates, states and districts continue to expand virtual schools and online offerings to students, at high cost to taxpayers. The advocates of full-time virtual schools are several years ahead of policymakers and researchers, and new opportunities are being developed and promoted largely by for-profit entities accountable to stockholders rather than to any public constituency. The report’s authors conclude that continued rapid expansion of full-time cyber schools is unwise. More research is needed; and to enable such research, state oversight agencies need to require more, and better refined, data. Financial controls and funding unique to cyber schools need to be established

Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2023

Over the past two and a half decades, digital technologies and virtual education have moved quickly to the top of the K&ndash;12 public education reform agenda. Proponents, including business leaders, school reform organizations, foundations, and for-profit and nonprofit service providers, argue that virtual technology will revolutionize teaching and learning, dramatically reduce the cost, and expand the availability of high-quality education. If this sounds too good to be true, it could be because it&rsquo;s not true. Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2023 is NEPC's ninth comprehensive report on the performance of U.S. virtual schools. It provides scholarly analyses of the characteristics and performance of full-time, publicly funded K&ndash;12 virtual schools; reviews the relevant available research related to virtual school practices; provides an overview of recent state legislative efforts to craft virtual school policy; and offers policy recommendations based on the available evidence.</p