Penalizing Schools That Succeed

THE stimulus package will more than double the fed eral money being spent on K-12 education for the next two years. But will local districts spend the cash productively? Flash back to 2002, when school reform was in the air in Philadelphia, one of the nation's largest and most troubled school districts. The district, under state pressure, revamped its governing structure and contracted out its 46 most challenging schools. Taking charge of 16 schools were local non-profits - the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Universal (a community-development corporation) and Foundations (a local entity started by a former school-district administrator). All four had good local political connections, but none had operated a public elementary or middle school.