I'll never forget the look on Jamal's face as he walked up the stairs on the very first day of school. His demeanor seemed far too intense and aggravated for any ten-year-old. When I sat in on one of his morning classes, I saw Jamal carelessly crumpling his homework assignment and stuffing it into his backpack.

Later that day, I came across Jamal and asked how he was doing. “I don't know,” he said. And then he added that he didn't want to be here. It was only 12:30 and Jamal had already earned a detention for disruptive behavior.

Jamal's father came to our first pot-luck dinner. He thanked me for tracking him down. No one, he said, had ever gone to such trouble to make sure he showed up at a school event before. He told me that he didn’t live with his son but cared about him very much and didn’t want him to make the same mistakes in life. We talked for a long while that night.

Jamal continued to come to school each morning looking as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He did not adjust to the school's culture easily. He was earning detentions almost daily, and his mother was growing more and more frustrated with her son and equally frustrated with the school's strict discipline code.

Just before Thanksgiving, I sat down with Jamal for what seemed like the hundredth time and explained again that our rules would not change, so he would have to. I told him that we would always be here to help him, but that we would never let him off the hook. And I listened as he started to slowly open up a bit about his dreams. I kept reminding Jamal of what I told all our students on the first day of school: “We are strict because we love you,” and “You will achieve greatness if you set your mind to it.”

Like so many students, Jamal's aptitude was strong, but his academic performance was weak. With incredible dedication, our teachers worked together during Friday team meetings to share strategies for Jamal and the many other students in similar situations. The teachers created a rapid-response, data-analysis system to identify exactly where each student was struggling, and they used this information to assign them to specific tutoring groups. Jamal attended tutoring, albeit grudgingly. Very slowly, his attitude and achievement began to improve.

Then, one day in early December, I saw Jamal at the end of the day, absolutely beaming. He held a paper in his hand, clutched tightly as though it might fly away if he didn’t keep a good grip on it. He stopped in front of me and explained that this was the first A he had ever gotten on a math test. I told him that he didn't get the A, he earned it. “Both of us know,” I whispered, “that this is the real you.” Jamal smiled and tucked the test carefully into his backpack.

A couple of days into the new year, Jamal's mother came to see me. “I have to thank you,” she said. “You and the teachers – you gave me my son back. He is a child again.” Her eyes started tearing up, and I hugged her. As a mother, I understood how much she loved her child, and how much it meant to her that he was growing up to be a wholesome, caring individual.

Now, three years later, Jamal is an outstanding student. He enjoys playing chess, excels in chemistry, loves to read mysteries, and tutors our 5th graders in math. Our work is to educate and inspire the thousands of children just like Jamal. This work is our passion.

We are passionate about social justice. We know that all children deserve the right to attend public schools where they are expected to learn at the highest levels, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds. Quality public education is an essential human right - it is the ultimate civil right.

We are passionate about supporting teachers. In founding Harlem Village Academies, we emphatically rejected the classic notion of a “school design.” Our core strategy was and is to create schools designed for teachers - rather than creating a “school design” to be imposed on teachers. Teachers must be trusted and respected as professionals.

We are passionate about creating a new model, setting a gold standard, and changing public education in this country.

The revolution is happening here, and our community of friends is growing. With a deep sense of urgency, I invite you to join us in this important work.

Dr. Deborah Kenny is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Harlem Village Academies. She was the founding principal of Harlem Village Academy.