‘We want a kid you don’t have any idea what to do with’
“According to Morri Elliott, SAVA’s principal, Maria is a ‘typical’ SAVA student. On average, he says, the school’s new students have attended two prior high schools and test four years below grade level on reading and math. They tend to have low motivation and self-esteem, come from families in poverty and be susceptible to forces such as drugs, violence and gangs. They are at high risk of dropping out. Many students have been involved in the criminal justice system, have vulnerable citizenship or residency status or have experienced homelessness. Many have special needs — previously diagnosed or not — and many are in the process of learning English. Some are involved in the foster care system, and many are the children of teenage parents — or are already parents themselves.”