In Cincinnati, pupils are placed in smaller classes that are tailored to bring them up to grade level. The campus, rows of brown bungalows across asphalt, has a no-frills, military feel. Pupils chat and eat lunch at picnic tables or on sun-splashed bleachers. To give kids more personal attention, the 25-member teaching staff has been split into five teams. Each team shares the same pupils.
Kids have the same classmates all day.
A social worker and two social worker interns have been assigned to the school. The nurse runs a support group for former smokers. After-school activities include afternoon football to homework tutorials. With district officials hoping to turn the Long Beach Preparatory Academy into a national model, the pressure is on to make the school work, says Reyna Rosas, a physical education teacher. B is for better For teachers, it can be a tough assignment.