Neighboring teachers won t be invited until September 2001. And a good school is very complex. Even if you have good teachers and good classroom experiences, people need to gel. Teachers have to gel. The school has to build relationships with parents and the community.
Services have to be in place.
All this takes time. It expects to enroll a total of about 275 children by 2001, when it will have a full complement of grade levels, pre-K through 8. The charter grew out of the center s 10 years of work with 10 schools on the South Side. Bryk says it was clear where the schools needed improvement literacy instruction, social services and leadership but that the center feared it would alienate the staffs if it pushed them too hard. This, in turn, limits how forceful or directive you can be in advancing change initiatives.