The Carl C. Icahn Charter School, opened in 2001 with the support of the billionaire financier of the same name, has very small classes, energetic teachers, and attentive children. Students wear blue and white uniforms. The days are long, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and run through the middle of July. Children who need extra help are asked to spend Saturday mornings at the school as well. Test scores are well above average for the Bronx, which Principal Jeffrey Litt attributes to the focused instruction and frequent assessment of students. Classes have only 18 students, much smaller than a typical public school, and attendance is very high.

Housed in pre-fabricated classrooms and placed on a vacant lot across the street from a homeless shelter also supported by Icahn, the school began as an elementary program, but is now expanding to serve grades K-8. The classrooms are all brightly lit and well-equipped, with bins of books and several computers. Each room has an American flag and the alphabet written in cursive letters on green cardboard over the blackboard, traditional touches many schools have abandoned. The number "4" is posted in various spots in the corridors and classrooms, a reminder from the principal that he expects students to get "Level 4," the highest level, on their standardized tests. Litt is very proud of the school's test scores. In spring 2005, 86 percent of the 4th graders passed the New York State English Language Arts test and 100 percent passed the state math test. Of those, 65 percent scored "Level 4."

On our brief visit, just before lunch, kids were serious about their work. Second graders were copying vocabulary definitions from dictionaries to notebooks. Fourth graders were taking a diagnostic test in preparation for the state science exam. Fifth graders were practicing grammar, changing sentences such as "Kimberly did a well job" to "Kimberly did a good job." Sixth graders were studying current events by reading a Weekly Reader. "This building, hear how quiet it is!" Litt said proudly. "They are going to lunch in four minutes and look at how focused the kids are! Discipline is not an issue here."

The school uses the Core Knowledge curriculum of educator E.D. Hirsch, which strives to ensure that all students have the same body of knowledge on topics ranging from Ancient Egypt to the child labor and the Industrial Revolution. While a new building is being constructed to house all grades, kindergarten and 1st grade classes are held in the homeless sheltera drawback because parents (except for those living in the shelter) are not allowed to visit.

Like all charter schools, Icahn is operated independently of the city Department of Education. Children are admitted by lottery. (Clara Hemphill, April 2006)