Nearly 80 kids did. But the key to the turnaround is rebuilding an expectation that all children can learn and that a good life is possible, says Principal Santroy-Ford. It's a tough area and it's a challenge, but you just have to come in here every day with the belief that all students can learn and that this is an academic facility. But a feud between two groups of girls threatened to eclipse learning. Instead, she called a Saturday meeting to ask parents for help.
School is a sacred place, just like family and church.
It has to be a safe place for all of us. And this could destroy what we hope for our school. The following week, the friction level was down. Students signed contracts promising better behavior and parents pledged to help. Such examples show the human face of reinventing public schools.