EDUCATION REPORT - Privatization of Public Schools

EDUCATION REPORT
–
May 9, 2002: Privatization of Public Schools

By Jerilyn Watson

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Last month, a state committee voted to give control of forty-two public schools in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to seven private companies, organizations and
universities. The committee acted because students in these schools are failing to
learn required skills. The privatization of public schools in Philadelphia is the
largest such action anywhere in the United States.

Several private education companies receive money to operate public schools. Such
a company works to improve education. It also seeks to earn a profit. The company
decides what will be taught. It trains teachers. It buys books, supplies and
equipment. Some experts say schools operated by private companies provide more interesting and effective
subject material. They also say parents have more influence on these schools than on traditional public schools
operated by local public officials.

The Pennsylvania committee named Edison Schools Incorporated to control twenty failing schools in
Philadelphia. Edison is the largest for-profit operator of public schools in the United States. The company began
in Nineteen-Ninety-Five with four schools. Now it operates more than one-hundred-thirty schools in more than
twenty states from Pennsylvania to California.

The Pennsylvania state committee gave control of other failing public schools to universities, non -profit
organizations, and other companies. The University of Pennsylvania and Temple University will control a total of
eight schools. A for-profit company called Chancellor¹ Beacon² Academies will operate five schools. A non-profit
organization called Foundations Incorporated will operate four schools. Two other companies will control the
remaining schools.

The amount of responsibility the companies will have has not been decided³. It must be negotiated with the state
committee, labor⁴ unions representing teachers and parents of children in the schools. However, state officials
believe the companies will make major changes in the failing schools.

Many experts believe that private companies operating public schools can improve education for students.
However, some students in Philadelphia protested the action. They say it is undemocratic for a company that
makes a profit to operate a public school.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Jerilyn Watson.

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1 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

2 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。