There is a sense of urgency to the learning at Democracy Prep, a charter school that opened in 2006 to serve middle and high school students in central Harlem. Educators remind students, many of whom enter the school several grade levels behind academically, that they have no time to waste. Indeed, students and teachers are focused: the school day lasts for more than eight hours, the school's hallways are silent, and students sit up straight in class, waving their hands to answer questions. But the students we spoke with said that they understand the strict rules and don't mind the hard work. "I feel that all the teachers care about the students, and this school is about discipline and academics and that is what I want," one 8th grade boy said.

On election day, the New York Times highlighted Democracy Prep students' get-out-the-vote... read more