“Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations 2004-2005,” is available from Arizona State University’s Education Policy Studies Laboratory.()
The largest for-profit education management companies that run charter schools tend to focus on creating elementary charter schools and enrolling large numbers of pupils in each classroom, a recent report concludes.
Released by the Education Policy Studies Laboratory at Arizona State University in Tempe, the study found that of the 14 largest charter-management organizations—defined as those managing 10 or more schools—10 of the organizations managed schools where more than half the students were in classrooms with above-average enrollments. The study suggests the organizations have found a successful business model by focusing on elementary schools, which are cheaper to run than secondary schools, and by enrolling larger-than-average numbers of students per classroom.