Charter School Students DREAM of Harvard

They came, they saw, and now they want to apply.

On June 5, 70 seventh graders from Harlem's Democracy Prep Charter School spent the day at Harvard seeing the sites, sitting in on the Ed School's diploma ceremony, and hearing Harry Potter author and commencement speaker J.K. Rowling talk about the importance of imagination.

The students were in Cambridge as part of a four-day New England college tour that was initiated  by Dean Kathleen McCartney's visit to Democracy Prep last spring, and organized by the school's founding principal, Seth Andrew, Ed.M.'02. By the time they boarded buses that would take them back to dorms at nearby Tufts University, many of the "scholars," as they are called, said they would be adding Harvard to the list of schools they wanted to apply to some day.

"Being here shows us what a college graduation is like and it makes me choose one more college [for my list]," says Kendra Melendez, a native of Honduras who barely spoke English when her family moved to the United States five years ago.

Jeremy Paula says that having the opportunity to spend the day at Harvard allowed students to see endless possibilities for their futures.

"Democracy Prep gives us the chance to really see the world beyond New York," he says. "Being at Harvard, especially, is an honor." (He too has added Harvard to his will-apply-to wish list.)

Students started working to "earn" the trip last fall by collecting DREAM dollars, (the acronym stands for Discipline, Respect, Enthusiasm, Accountability, and Maturity). Dollars are earned for good behavior, showing respect, being prepared, and being involved. Students accumulate a college scholarship fund based on 10 percent of their DREAM balance, redeemable at graduation, and cash in dollars for trips like the one to Harvard.

Melendez says earning the dollars wasn't easy. The school expects much from its students -- something they are reminded of daily by the school's motto, which hangs above the door of every classroom: Work Hard. Go to College. Change the World. For starters, the day begins at 7:30am and runs until 5pm, with many students staying later for homework club or extracurricular activities. Students are also required to attend classes every other Saturday and have two hours of homework a night. Summer school is mandatory for those who are not getting good grades.

"We don't promote unless they really are capable of the work," says Katie Duffy, director of development and one of the trip's chaperones. "Keep in mind that 91 percent of our students come to us about two grade levels behind and 21 percent are special needs." In the school's first year, students progressed an average of 3.1 grade levels on the national Stanford 10 exam. Recently, the school was one of the few charter schools in New York City to earn an "A" rating on the citywide school report cards.

Andrew, who started the school in 2006 out of frustration he endured teaching special education students, says high expectations actually make students want to do well.

"At our school, class is serious," he says. "Students do have fun, but fun is a tool, not an end. Some schools think they have to sell fun to get kids to like school. Here we see it as: You like it because it is hard and rigorous."

Tyrone Carney says he now wants to do well -- something he might not have said last fall when he was acting out.

"Now I'm a shooting star," he says, referring to the term used for students who make considerable improvements. "At the beginning of the year, I wasn't being good, but then my attitude changed and I earned this trip. We take respect seriously at this school."

This respect for respect has translated into a better attitude at home, too.

"I come home now and ask my mom how her day was," he says. "I also walk away when my sisters and brothers are fighting. Before Democracy Prep, I always got into fights. Now I pay attention more."

Carney is just one example of the metamorphosis that students undergo when they come to the school and become part of what they call "the dream team," says Duffy. "Kids walk differently and stand taller after they've been at our school for awhile."

And at the Ed School diploma ceremony, when Dean McCartney included a mention of Democracy Prep in her speech, one thing was also clear: these students cheer louder, too.

To read more about Democracy Prep, go to http://www.democracyprep.org/.