The teachers might feel more uplifted if they heard their students talk about them. Maybe many of these teenagers aren't responding yet to the higher standards, but they clearly sense a profound change in their classes. All of those interviewed -- even the students who liked "the old Locke" better -- praised their teachers without reservation.
"The old teachers used to give us a packet [of work sheets] and tell us to sit down and do it," said Darryl, a junior. "You couldn't ask something, they didn't want to hear from you, they would just sit down and do their own thing." This year, he and fellow junior Lee agree, the teachers are up out of their seats and teaching. They explain things better. They don't mind explaining it again. They treat students respectfully. They offer extra help, during class or after school.
Signs of success
The "new Locke" may have been appreciated most by students who already were aiming to succeed. One junior talked about how the calmer campus, with fewer worries about avoiding fights or being urged to cut classes, made it possible for him to get involved in sports and bring his grades up. New graduate Micheal McElveen had always done well at Locke but had to struggle against the continual uproar to do so. He credits the changes under Green Dot with helping him gain admittance to American University in Washington, D.C., where he'll start in the fall.
As for the less ambitious students, if they're not exactly more ready for college, at least they're getting somewhat more ready for a diploma. This year, significantly more sophomores passed the high school exit exam (the earliest grade the test is administered). And Green Dot introduced a genuinely useful dropout-prevention program, Advance Path, that allows students to make up credits via online courses that they complete at their own pace. It also opened the Opportunities academy, a closely supervised program for youngsters recently released from juvenile detention.
Coleman is frank about the progress at her academies -- and lack of it. The school met its goals on campus safety, she said. And students came to understand and accept, albeit with the usual envelope-pushing, that they would wear uniforms and attend classes once they got to school. The school's truancy rates are significantly lower than last year's.
