They also give students a healthy respect for what it takes to earn a living -- because the kids' own jobs are on the line at school. "They know that you don't get an allowance for nothing and that a parent's money doesn't magically come out of an ATM," says Michelle Lewis, 33, Amanda's mother.
Parents have tangible proof that the program is working. Sherrie Jackson's daughter, Alicia, an eight-year-old third-grader, now reads at a fifth-grade level. As a first-grader at another school, she read at the bottom level of her class.
Summers doesn't want Garehime to be an exceptional experience among schools. She would like to see it become the norm. "This model can be replicated," she says, "if teachers and administrators are willing to put in extra work and to take advantage of the opportunity to be creative."
Contact Francie Summers by email (francie@summerslasvegas.com) , or learn more about Garehime Elementary School on the Web (www.summerslasvegas.com/garehime) .
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