When students returned to Jarrett Middle School last week, not only was school staff in place, so too were staff members from Edison Schools, a private education company contracted by the state Department of Education to turn the school around.

The thing is, Jarrett already is moving in the right direction.

Principal Gerald Teramae said his leadership team will consider all of Edison's proposals and determine which options will best suit the students' needs.

But he does not anticipate handing over decision-making to Edison, which is one of the possible scenarios under the federal No Child Left Behind Act when schools consistently perform below expectations on the state's standardized tests.

"We're going to have disagreements, we're going to have opinions on what we've been doing and what they're suggesting that we do, but ... the bottom line is that we're in this as a team, so we'll work productively together," Teramae said.

Known as a leader in school privatization, Edison — which has been awarded almost $4 million in contracts at seven struggling Hawai'i schools — now finds itself in the position of having to negotiate with school leaders, as well as labor unions, to implement its teaching strategies that have been tested in more than 150 schools across the country.

As Edison staffers have moved into schools on O'ahu and Maui, principals have been welcoming, but the transition has not been seamless.

John Krieck, Edison's general manager in Hawai'i, said the company has met some resistance in its first month, but nothing unexpected.

"There's an initial acclimation process in any new relationship. ... It's kind of a natural evolution," he said.

Jarrett's eighth-graders tasted success on the state's standardized tests last spring, scoring well enough in reading and math to avoid further sanctions under No Child Left Behind for the first time.

In reading, the percentage of students achieving proficiency increased by more than half, and the percentage proficient in math more than doubled.

However, those gains came too late for the school to escape the federal law's toughest penalty: "restructuring," or takeover by the state, a fate shared by two dozen Hawai'i schools. Jarrett is one of 20 of those schools that will have an outside consultant working closely with teachers and administrators to help kids master their grade-level standards.

Besides Edison, two other companies have been brought in to help: ETS Pulliam and National Center on Education and the Economy.

So far, so good, said Krieck and Pat Schumaker, also of Edison, during a training session last week with Jarrett, Palolo Elementary and Kahului Elementary.

The other four schools the company is working with have been back in session for a few weeks, and teachers and administrators have been receptive to Edison's proposals.

"They're open to really taking an honest look at what has worked at the other schools," Krieck said.

However, what is important to some principals is that Edison has been willing to take a good look at what has worked in their schools.

"We're not here to tell people what to do," Krieck said.

At Pa'ia Elementary on Maui, which has been working with Edison for about a month, principal Susan Alivado said, "The partnership, as far as I'm concerned, is going very well."

She hasn't had any complaints from teachers, and any concerns by her or her complex area superintendent have been addressed.

Schumaker said there have not been any situations where a school has refused to try Edison's suggestions, although they have had to do some coaxing to get the schools to give some things a try.

Although Jarrett has made great progress toward proving the school can meet NCLB goals on its own, the leadership team is willing to share the victory if Edison helps the school continue its upward trend.

"I think we both have the same end results ... so if we look at each other as partners, rather than opponents, or an outsider coming in, then we'll achieve more with that kind of thinking," said reading coordinator Geri Pung.

"It's a collaborative effort," said Kinau Gardener, the school's curriculum coordinator.

Ultimately, though, success rests with the school, and the staff is willing to work even harder to continue to improve. "We'll take full responsibility," Gardener said. "We're not looking to blame anyone else, or give anyone else the credit."

Jarrett already models many of the strategies Edison employs, and the company's job will be to make classroom teaching more targeted and structured.

"So far, what we've seen has already been in line with what we're already doing," Gardener said. But she's interested in hearing how Edison thinks the school can improve.

"We're always looking for ways to do better by our kids," she said.

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.