The South Bronx School that Outscores the Suburbs

I can't say for certain, but it seems to me that none of the current education theories and programs coming out of Columbia University and all of the other big time teacher colleges consider the fact that education is hard work. No, you can't make a game out of it because education is not a game. It is as serious as your life. (Yes, I may have said this once or twice before.) It takes dedication and time. And if everyone involved is dedicated and is willing to put in the time and work past the pain when things get tough, students can learn. It's not easy, and families do have to decide if the rewards are worth the effort. Oh, and the students' skin color doesn't make a difference. All children can learn if they're taught correctly.
From City Journal:

The intense focus on student achievement comes with a real human cost, however. Staff turnover is high, and the school’s interactions with parents and students, while sometimes loving, can be blunt. Pondiscio describes a January meeting of kindergarten parents, called because the five-year-old students are not performing at expected levels on the school’s interim assessment of reading levels. The teachers sense that “something is off.” About a third of the parents show up and are informed that unless the children improve by the next assessment, they will not likely reach the required reading level by the end of the year. If that happens, they will not be promoted to first grade. “All of us in this room are not doing enough for our kids,” they are told.

Later in the meeting, a parent points out that her son has no trouble completing his assignments at home but that he gets scared in school and misses answers. One might expect the teacher to offer encouragement and emotional support, but that’s not the Success Academy way. The teacher replies, “At home, your child is in such a relaxed environment. Do you time him?” No, the parent says. “Start timing him.” Such an unstinting approach can appear harsh, but this is what Success promises parents it will deliver.

In this light, Pondiscio relates a story he heard from the mother of a Success student. Growing up in the Bay Area, the student’s mother attended “supposedly good” public schools, which promoted her from grade to grade despite teaching her little. “They were like, ‘Just let this Latina pass.” That never happens at Success Academy. Accountability is inescapable, and students and parents always know where the children stand relative to one another in terms of achievement.

Yes, it sounds like they are a bunch of child-hating meanies, but:

When a five-year-old kindergartener fails to complete his book review, he is told that he will not be allowed to participate in “block time” the following day. Pondiscio admits to the teacher that he would have caved in after seeing the tears well up in the child’s eyes, but Success teachers are on a mission: to get their students proficient in reading and mathematics in time for New York State testing in third grade. National research shows that fewer than one-third of students who fall behind by fourth grade attain college readiness by high school graduation.  

It's a lot of work for everyone, students, parents, and teachers. There is high turnover among the school's teachers. It's not easy for anyone. But teaching is a difficult profession, and it's even more difficult when working with children who may come to school two or three steps behind those suburban kids whose parents are dedicated to their education. So again, are the rewards worth the tears?