Turnaround Starts With Students

"The way we carry ourselves in front of the children is very different from the public schools," says Nicole Short, who came to Washington Middle after working in the D.C. system. She teaches a life skills class that includes instruction on etiquette, public speaking and writing.

In Maureen Heard and Brianne Wetzel's social studies class, the six sixth-graders face off against Miss Heard in a heated contest to see who can answer the most questions about ancient Rome. The girls nearly burst out of their seats to score points on the details of Roman government, architecture and social roles. They lose this time but immediately debate how to beat their teacher in the next round.

"No one has taken these kids seriously," says Heard, who is in her second year as a volunteer in Response-Ability, a Catholic version of the Teach for America program that trains recent college graduates to work in inner-city schools. "Once we show them that they can succeed, you see them really grow up and gain confidence and bond with each other."

The tight friendships fostered by a small school that mandates long hours and parent involvement result in a sense of separation from the outside world -- an invaluable tool where the streets are rough and the temptations palpable.

"We want the school to get inside the girls so they are not living in two worlds," Bourdon says. "They get teased in their neighborhoods for wearing the uniform and carrying the books, but we tell them, 'You have to make a decision about who you are and what you want to be.' " For most girls, that decision is easy, despite the jealousy and ribbing they face back home.

"If I was in public school, things would have happened," says eighth-grader Bianca Bradley. "Fights, drama. At my old school, the teachers didn't care -- they just gave us the work and sat down at their desk. Here, they show you every step."

"Here, you don't have to act out to get attention," says classmate Celisman West.

The girls admit that they are not always angels and that detentions and suspensions are liberally dispensed. "But our friendships are so close, we can talk about anything," Bianca says. "We're all like sisters. It's family."