Schools Programs Said to Show Promise

Five years after Walter Annenberg pledged $500-million to overhaul America’s public-education system, schools and school districts that have received some of that money show signs of progress, according to a new report.

The Annenberg Challenge, which is overseeing the distribution of the philanthropist’s money, released the report. It was based on evaluations conducted by independent consultants the Annenberg program paid to study the program.

The evaluations showed that test scores have risen in several systems supported by Annenberg funds, the report notes, including district-wide improvements in Philadelphia, and in individual schools in other cities such as Los Angeles and New York that received money from the philanthropic program.

The report is one of several progress reports the Annenberg Challenge has issued amid criticism that the money provided by Mr. Annenberg was not being spent in ways that were leading to significant improvements.

Copies of the report are available free from the Annenberg Challenge National Office at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, Brown University, Campus Box 1985, Providence, R.I. 02912; (401) 863-2744; e-mail Annenberg_Challenge@brown.edu.