June 25, 1996
FOR RELEASE: IMMEDIATELY
Statement by Albert Shanker  President, American Federation of Teachers 
on D.C. School Contract with Education Alternatives, Inc. (EAI)
It's astonishing that Superintendent Franklin Smith is ignoring the 
dismal track record of EAI and bringing the company to D.C. to run 
Birney Elementary School.  His attitude seems to be "Don't confuse me 
with the facts."  The facts about EAI are well established and pretty 
discouraging: higher costs; lower test scores; questionable use of 
public funds; and regulatory violations, among other things.  The 
company was kicked out of Baltimore and Hartford and has repeatedly had 
their proposals rejected by other communities.  Why?  Because EAI 
doesn't produce the results it promises.  Why does Smith have any reason 
to believe they will be the salvation of Birney or other District schools?
Smith is obviously desperate to improve the schools, but there are 
other, better ways to do it.  There's no evidence that private 
management will in and of itself improve troubled schools.  Turning 
schools around takes hard work --setting high expectations for student 
achievement, putting a good curriculum in place, and setting and 
enforcing rigorous discipline standards.  EAI's "program"  contains none 
of these proven reforms.  And they are all reforms that can be 
undertaken by school boards, teachers, and parents in D.C. and any other 
community -- without the "help" of private managers.
Smith's school-by-school privatization strategy opens up a whole new set 
of dangers.  Who will hold EAI accountable, and who will gather the 
necessary information to do so?  Smith?  The school board?   The school 
principal?  Accountability is supposedly one of the things a district 
buys from a private manager, but we've seen, from Baltimore and 
Hartford, that this is a fiction.  Unless Smith and the school board are 
willing to ask hard questions, keep careful records, and hold EAI 
strictly to its promises, D.C. taxpayers are likely to end up paying 
more for less.
The AFT represents 900,000 teachers, school support staff, higher 
education faculty, nurses and other health professionals, and state and 
local government workers.
Chuck Beams
Fidonet - 1:2608/70
cbeams@future.dreamscape.com
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* UniQWK #5290* Always remember you're unique-just like everyone else.
--- Maximus 2.01wb
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