“The whole-school meeting lasts maybe six minutes,” said Chiappetta, who explained that the group often discusses their DREAM values, which stands for discipline, respect, enthusiasm, accountability and maturity. “By the time the scholars move upstairs, they are ready to learn and their baggage has been left at the door. It’s very cleansing.”
The scholars have 30 to 40 minutes of homework per night and extra homework on the weekends.
Although, as is often the case, when you read about what goes on in the school beyond the sloganeering and a few arbitrary rules, it seems more reasonable; e.g., I bet that "homework" is often finished before the kids actually go home, as part of the "extended day" activities.
The interesting question is whether there are enough middle and upper class parents in Cumberland & Lincoln who are conservative enough to embrace the school's "no excuses" approach for their own kids, but liberal enough to send their kids to a school that's predominantly poor minority students. If there aren't, it will be tough in the long run to maintain their community's investment in the school.
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