The Reeducation of Silicon Valley

With passionate young teachers and dedicated parents, EPA Charter has two-thirds of what's needed for a fighting chance at creating a successful school in a blighted community. But principal Klei knows that hope and good cheer alone are not enough. She is trying to run a 350-student school on a shoestring budget. She is trying to retain good teachers when EPA Charter's starting pay is just $37,600 -- significantly less than what wealthier school districts nearby can offer.

She is also trying to prepare children to succeed in the wider world, which can sometimes seem frustratingly far away. To improve her odds, she and her school need a network of friends on the other, affluent side of Interstate Highway 101.

That's where the bookmarks come in. "Every time we get a gift to the school -- whether it's a $10,000 check or a book for our library -- we send a thank-you letter," Klei says. "And we include a bookmark made by one of our first graders. It takes 20 minutes to make each one. But it's worth it. It makes donors feel important, and it keeps them connected with our school."

Month by month, EPA Charter is building those connections. Last year, Yahoo contributed $25,000 for a new playground -- and sent dozens of its employees over one Saturday to help put the swings, slides, and climbing equipment in place. Logitech, a maker of computer gear, has donated dozens of computers and provided ongoing service and support. The School Futures Research Foundation, supported in part by Wal-Mart heir John Walton, has become an active backer of the school.

EPA Charter's most fruitful relationship is with Venture Law Group, a Silicon Valley law firm that specializes in helping startups. The firm's cofounder and chairman, Craig Johnson, is a former Peace Corps volunteer, and his spirit of public service permeates the group. Venture Law sends storytellers into the school for Latino Heritage Day. It donates library books by the box, with more than 100 employees making contributions. The law firm also helps underwrite several teachers' salaries. Most striking, it helps EPA Charter's children touch the outside world, thanks to two programs that don't cost much but require a lot of hands-on commitment and passion.

Each autumn, children throughout EPA Charter are invited to design the law firm's annual holiday card. The five best designs are posted on Venture Law's internal Web site, and employees vote on their favorites. The winning design gets a 4,000-copy pressrun -- and is mailed to CEOs, investment bankers, and venture capitalists around the globe. On the back of each card is a photo of EPA Charter students and a few words about why the school matters.

Meanwhile, each spring, Venture Law's employees teach four-day workshops at the school about how to start a business. Children in older grades form bracelet-making companies and then try to sell their wares to younger students. At the end of the exercise, everyone knows a bit more about manufacturing, sales, bookkeeping -- and teamwork.

For Klei, the bracelet-company exercise is a great way to teach her school's children something about business and give them a small taste of the company-creating excitement that drives Silicon Valley. For the Venture Law visitors, it is much more than charity work. Some describe it as one of the most exciting projects they do all year.

"I wanted to be a teacher when I was growing up," confides Grace Kawahira, a legal secretary at Venture Law. "But I never had the guts to try it. So I was nervous when it was my turn. There I was, trying to teach a class of seventh graders. But we came to this point where I asked them if they could think of any brand names and what made those brands work.

"All of these children put up their hands. They were so excited -- and they had really good answers. It was wonderful."

It's a drizzly morning at Costano Elementary School. Most principals would shepherd their students inside the building as quickly as possible. But that isn't how Marthelia Hargrove wants to start the day. She is Costano's principal: a sturdy black woman with a trace of her North Carolina upbringing still in her voice. Almost every morning for the past five years, she has been leading close to 500 children in a rousing, outdoor catechism about education.

"I believe I can learn!" Hargrove says, clutching a microphone that's barely necessary. Even without amplification, her voice carries to the farthest corners of the school grounds.

"I believe I can learn!" the entire student body shouts back.

"I can learn!" Hargrove says. "I will learn!" Each time, the welcoming answer comes back faster and louder. Her calls get longer and more ambitious. "I promise to read each day and night," she declares. "I know it's the way to grow up right." Her students stay with her, answering with conviction.