SEPTEMBER 2009 UPDATE: Principal Karen Jones has resigned in June 2009 and Dr. Dawn Cejas is the new principal of Sisulu-Walker.Charter School.

MARCH 2008 REVIEW: Housed in a commercial building, the Sisulu-Walker Charter School of Harlem is a small school where space is limited, children must navigate through cramped hallways and stairwells, and class size is large because rooms are few. Despite these drawbacks, Principal Karen Jones presides over a school where test scores are improving and children are coming to understand the importance of their education. In 2005, 60% of the 4th grade and 94% of the 5th grade passed the state ELA exam.

Founded by the for-profit Victory Schools in 1999, Sisulu had a rocky beginning, with three principals in its first three years. In 2004, the state put the school on probation because of its lackluster performance. However, by the time of our visit, the school seemed to have turned around. It had replaced the scripted "direct instruction" teaching method with more flexible approaches. Student achievement had improved and the state granted it a five-year charter in March 2006.

Jones helps compensate for large class size by assigning a full-time teaching assistant to every class. In addition, a reading specialist rotates through different classrooms, assisting individual students. No wall space is wasted: student work, decorations, and educational printed material cover the walls from ceiling to floor.

During our visit we could tell that good behavior is prized because children sat up a little straighter every time the principal walked into a room. They have an incentive to be polite: classes where students are consistently well behaved win lunch on Jones, who became principal in 2005. On the flip side, misconduct may also be greeted with reprimands. "You can reprimand children when they see you as consistent and fair," adds Jones.

Most students seemed eager to learn, even those who had reading problems. The school uses literature from two programs that emphasize traditional approaches to learning. The Open Court program is a highly structured, phonics-based reading method, while the Core Knowledge curriculum was developed by retired University of Virginia professor E.D. Hirsch, Jr., who believes in "cultural literacy"that there are key ideas and information that any well-educated American should know. Students work on phonics lessons or practice their spelling, but also read independent books to supplement Open Court.

The quality of instruction varies with the teacher; in one class we saw, students sat silentlysome restlesslyon a rug while the teacher read aloud to them. In other classes, teachers engaged children by inviting discussion and interaction. Students studying fossils imitated archeologists on a dig by trying to "excavate" the chocolate chips in cookies with toothpicks and small paintbrushes. "This is the best project," one child told the principal while he happily gobbled up his artifacts. In general, the teachers seemed kind and warm; we saw them hold children's hands in the halls. Jones said teachers recently invited students and their families to a school pasta dinner, prepared and cooked by the faculty.

Sisulu-Walker is named for one of the heroes of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, Walter Sisulu, as well as for Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker, an advisor for Victory Schools who served as chief of staff to Dr. Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement. The school may enroll students from anywhere in the city, but it draws many from its immediate neighborhood of Harlem, and most students are of African descent. Jones looks for ways to expose her students to the world outside the area and recently invited a group of exchange students from Ireland to spend a day at the school. Sisulu students were tour guides and discussed the differences in their lifestyles with their Irish counterparts, some of whom were much older. Lunch was delivered from Harlem's famous Sylvia's soul-food restaurant. Everyone enjoyed themselves, according to Jones, and the day proved to be a fitting part of her goal to show off highlights of Black American culture and the accomplishments of her students. "I need people to see beyond their color, and into their heads. I want our children to compete on the world stage," she said.

Admissions: A lottery is held in April. Priority is given to District 3 residents. (Catherine Man, March 2006)