Last fall, three Chicago high schools instituted a pilot program designed to encourage young Black and Latino men to envision themselves at the head of the class.

Former teachers say they couldn’t thrive in the public or private school systems, while parents were seeking alternative education styles or curriculum.

Another year and there's another reason to cancel classes—soaring school heat worsened by faulty or non-existent air-conditioning.

Most schools buy microphones and speakers for classrooms. We've taken things one step further and built amplification systems directly into the DNA of our new schools.