PrefaceEdison Schools, Inc., is the nation's largest educational management organization (EMO), operating 103 schools in 18 states and the District of Columbia in [2004][2005]. Although EMOs are part of a growing trend toward alternative forms of governance of public schools, there is little empirical evidence about their effects to inform policy decisions.In 2000, Edison contracted with the RAND Corporation to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the performance of the schools it manages. This monograph is the final product of this multiyear evaluation. It examines Edison's strategies for improving schools, the implementation of these strategies in a sample of Edison schools across the United States, and the achievement trends attained by students in Edison schools.This research has been conducted by RAND Education, a unit of the RAND Corporation, under a contract with Edison Schools, Inc. It is part of a larger body of RAND Education work addressing school reform, assessment and accountability, and teachers and teaching, and it fits into a recent body of work on school choice and charter schools.v DedicationWe dedicate this work to Tom Glennan, who was instrumental in launching the project and in helping to guide our theoretical framework. We wish he were here to see its conclusion. Tom was a nurturing mentor, an invaluable colleague, and a dear friend.vii