Edition: U.S. / Global  Public Schools: Choice or Chance?
Published: January 5, 1997 (Page 2 of 3)  Ms. Huggins emphasized
the more whimsical aspects of her school: how a kindergarten
teacher gets on the floor with her students and rows an
imaginary boat; how every class is filled with students'
artwork; how vocabulary words dangle from the ceiling of a
second-grade class, and how third graders help each other with
math.  ''Look at the faces of the kids,'' Ms. Huggins insisted.
If they don't look excited to be learning, the school isn't
doing its job.  Gail Foster, founder of the Toussaint Institute,
a resource center directed at black and Hispanic parents,
advised parents to visit schools and inquire about the next step
for graduates. ''What schools do the children go to when they
leave here,'' she suggested. ''In other words, what track is
this school on?''  Ms. Hemphill pointed to what she called the
school principal's vision.'' What, for example, is the
philosophy on how to teach reading? Does he or she