The principal and faculty seek out student and parental advice when making schoolwide decisions. The professional staff set high academic standards, establish school rules that respect differences among students, and demand proper study habits from the culturally diverse population. Drills and practice are parts of each teacher's daily lessons. Report cards with letter grades are sent home every nine weeks. School B prizes freedom for students and teachers to pursue their individual interests.
Every teacher encourages student-initiated projects and trusts children to make the right choices.
In this school, there are no spelling bees, no accelerated reading program, no letter or numerical grades. Instead, there is a year-end narrative in which a teacher describes the personal growth of each student. Students in school take only those standardized tests required by the state. A world to discover. Both public schools are in the same state and both have been in existence for 25 years.