Evaristo Barrios

His son, 5, is in kindergarten at Success Academy Hell's Kitchen.

I grew up poor, and my parents never had a choice in where to send me to school. So my wife, Mariann, and I knew we wanted to find the very best option for our son Luke. We were lucky to get Luke enrolled at Success Academy, but the transition was not easy. He had to learn to be disciplined, to follow explicit rules and to handle a heavy homework load. He had behavioral infractions early in the year, and we reinforced the school’s high expectations at home. Within two months, his behavior had turned around and he appeared to be getting into the rhythm of the classroom.

By mid-year, we were still shocked at the workload but also amazed at his progress. Our son now writes out his thoughts in basic English, reads books to us at bedtime and excels at math. He comes home with interesting science facts and explains how the chess pieces move on the board. I know I didn’t do all that in kindergarten.

When I reflect on my own education, it is clear that my personal and professional successes cannot be credited to my public schools. That credit goes to my parents, who also come from a humble upbringing and never got past sixth grade. They reinforced that school was important, excelling was mandatory and there were no limits to my possibilities if I worked hard. Credit also goes to a handful of teachers who pointed out what wasn’t obvious to me — that I was smart, but I wasn’t making the effort. In short, my parents and a few great teachers helped turn me into a great student by teaching me to believe in myself. I cannot understand the criticisms against Success Academy, which has consistently shown that discipline and effort results in academic excellence. As adults, we are all expected to do our very best, and we expect the same of others. Why would we want our son to be taught in an environment that would expect any less from him?

