The new building accommodates expanded enrollment in the sixth through eighth grades for North Kenwood/Oakland (NKO); the main building is nearby at 46th and Greenwood. As the school develops two sections at each grade level, enrollment will grow to 160 students by 2008.

"All of the students have laptop computers. The building is wired so they can use them anywhere," Washington explained as they moved through the school's second floor. "It's part of the academic experience here."

The Kings have two children at NKO: daughter Portia is in eighth grade and son Bryan is in fifth grade. Another daughter, Asia, now a sophomore at King College Preparatory High School, graduated from NKO.

The trio looked into a classroom where twenty-four students in blue and white uniforms listened carefully and responded to a series of questions in Spanish. With an average class size of twenty-seven, the NKO Middle School has somewhat smaller classes than many other Chicago public schools.

"¿Dónde está?" Teacher Eva Arcentales introduced new vocabulary using the basic question, "Where is?" Students smiled as she put a book on her head. "¿Dónde está el libro?" The quick reply was "El libro está sobre la cabeza."

"In this type of immersion learning, students become adept in vocabulary and avoid bouncing between two languages in a way that slows their learning," Washington said. NKO students are required to take Spanish at every grade level.

"I think I learned some Spanish today, too," Mrs. King said with a smile.

A customer service representative for an airline, she is a busy mom. In addition to supervising groups of children who do homework at the family's home near 75th Street and King Drive, she volunteers for school fundraisers and attends all her children's sports events.

"My wife visited an open house, and really liked what she saw. The school has excellent academics, and a really warm, family-oriented attitude. I also like the way they teach students about responsibility," said Bryan King, who operates a home improvement contracting business. At NKO, he coaches basketball for boys and girls and recently helped with a farmer's market that raised money for an eighth-grade class trip to Washington, D.C.

Along three sides of the first-floor science laboratory, the Kings saw space for conducting experiments. "Doing experiments gives them an authentic experience with science," Washington said. "It's a gateway to learning more through the scientific method."

In addition to comfort with technology and knowledge in specific subjects, NKO gives students extra preparation: "We want them to develop critical thinking skills, so they can gather information and also create knowledge. They should be able to look at a situation from more than one point of view, draw conclusions, and then be able to present their ideas to others," said Washington.

A nearby classroom holds digital and print media that are important to the school's emphasis on literacy. Developing strong reading skills is a theme that runs throughout NKO, beginning in the prekindergarten.

"We expose the students to a rich variety of genres in literature so that they can learn to love reading. Understanding written material is fundamental for subjects like science and math, as well as literature. If a student can't read, he or she can't do very well in school," said Washington, who was previously a language arts teacher.

"In a charter school, we have the freedom to move much faster than a regular public school to make the curriculum changes we need to reach our goals," he said. "Our kids need help right now. They can't wait years for us to make the changes that improve their learning."