Joe Hawkins, now an educational researcher, spent 20 years coordinating the county's testing program. A year and a half ago, Greenberg, Mathis, and Hawkins began drawing up plans for the county's first charter school. I were failing the countywide exam. Greenberg, Mathis, and Hawkins's charter school, which would have been located in the eastern half of the county, aimed to get regular students to do the same work as their counterparts in honors classes. There would be no tracking, no fancy learning technology, and no varsity sports.
Teaching is hard work.
Admissions would be open, and if the number of applicants exceeded the 200 slots, there would be a lottery. But, before students applied, they and their parents would have to visit the school and learn what it expected. Last year, the trio began presenting their plan to parent-teacher associations, which is where I first heard them speak. I was struck by their almost uncanny understanding of why some kids aren't learning. Many parents, including myself, were enthusiastic.