SACRAMENTO, CA - Writing and researching on education issues can be depressing. The problems are huge and the forces opposing reform are despairingly powerful. Then, however, one visits a school like the Oakland Military Institute (OMI), as several PRI colleagues and I recently did, and not only does it renew one’s spirit, it proves that despite all obstacles it is possible to bring real change into the lives of disadvantaged students.

The brainchild of Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, OMI is a charter school run in partnership with the California National Guard that offers both a challenging college preparatory curriculum and a disciplined environment that allows true learning to take place. The opposition to OMI among the local education establishment was ferocious and at times hysterical. The Oakland school board opposed OMI, as did the Alameda County school board and the local teachers union. Luckily, the state Board of Education approved OMI and the school opened in late summer on the grounds of the Oakland Army Base.

On our visit, Command Chief Master Sergeant George Booker served as our friendly guide. Since the school is only in its first year, we had modest expectations that were quickly challenged.

The 162 mostly disadvantaged minority students at OMI, many from troubled backgrounds, are organized in platoons. Observing the members of one platoon on the charter school’s small asphalt parade ground, they looked like any group of boisterous adolescents. However, when told to line up in formation, these inner-city seventh graders immediately formed up and, under the command of one of their peers, marched out in order and went through a variety of complicated drills. When it was time for this and other platoons to go to class, they marched quietly, single file, into their classrooms.

Col. Floyd Davis, director of youth programs for the California National Guard, has stated that the key to student improvement is discipline. From discipline comes self respect and respect for others. Learning can then take place. One OMI student said that at first the regimen of OMI seemed too difficult, but now he likes it, wants to stay, and is receiving a good education. And the education OMI provides is first rate.

OMI uses the Saxon reading and math curriculum, oriented to basic skills and knowledge. Classroom methods are structured, teacher-centered, and emphasize getting the right answer. Drill and practice is stressed so students can automatically recall important foundational knowledge. OMI issues a weekly notice that lists homework requirements and then requires students to attend after-school study halls to complete their assignments. Students are tested every Friday in every class. According to Mr. Knight, an OMI special-education teacher, the goal is to have all OMI students, many of whom entered the school reading four or five grades below grade level, reading at or near grade level by the end of the academic year.

Perhaps most stirring, in the wake of September 11, is the OMI creed. In unison, students enthusiastically proclaim, “I will seek the mantle of leadership and stand prepared to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.” Further, they declare: “I am loyal and patriotic. I am the future of the United States of America.” From what we saw that day, I’m glad that these kids are our future.

Lance Izumi is a Senior Fellow in California Studies at the California-based Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy. He can be reached via email at lizumi@pacificresearch.org.