One teacher left after Ichinaga found her first-graders weren't keeping up. In some ways, the classrooms seem old-fashioned. The teacher leads every lesson. When children want to speak, they must raise their hands. If they talk out of turn, they are admonished.
Teachers demand students perform.
Poverty or poor English skills are no excuse. You're going to need your ears and your brain. After seven minutes of instruction, she awarded several children stickers for their efforts, then moved on to the next lesson. Kindergartners are expected to learn all the letters of the alphabet along with colors, shapes, and numbers. If they don't, they aren't promoted to first grade.