It really is that simple. The Empowerment School model works. It works because America works, and our free market system works, and it is a model of that system. An empowerment school reverses the direction of the flow of money. In our current system, the money flows to administration (central), and from there to the schools in the form of labor and resources. In the Empowerment Model, the money goes to the school, and the school purchases resources. The majority of the resources will likely be purchased from Central, but only if they are provided efficiently. For example, if a school needs printing services, and Kinko’s can provide the necessary printing more efficiently than Central, the school should use Kinko’s. Competition would force Central to be more efficient (productive). This is a basic principle of the American economic system.
The Clark County School District currently operates about 5% of their schools as empowerment schools, with remarkable results at the schools. The Empowerment Model has not yet had much effect on the efficiency of Central, nor will it ever at a 5% level. The efficiencies at Central will not happen until the district operates entirely, or close to it, on the Empowerment model. As long as one small group of schools is still forced to use the resources of Central, now matter how inefficient, Central will never have the incentive to increase productivity. The CCSD experiment could likely continue for a short time longer at less than a 10% level, but will soon have to implemented district wide, or fail. Those who would like to see it fail could accomplish their goal by delaying full implementation.
Can it fail upon full implementation? Successes in other areas indicate that is not likely. I have heard it argued that the management of an empowerment school is more complex and not all Principals could handle it. This is a socialist hogwash argument. The most likely scenario is that Principals, given the opportunity, would outshine their clients (students and families) greatest expectations. Second, a free market system demands that excellence can only be had when the system can replace inefficient operations and operators.
We have tasted the success with 17 schools in the CCSD (as of May, 2009). The real story will only come with full implementation.
