Although when we ran into these inmates in the prison yard, they were arguing. About rousseau and machiavelli. How do they reconcile each other, or do they . Well, actually, they both come up with this ideology of what the natural state of man was really all about. [ticking] you want to go to college . Much as it kills me, yes. When ed bradley met richar anozier in 2005, it was for a story about the harlem childrens zone, an innercity Education Program run by a remarkable man named Geoffrey Canada. Good morning, boys and girls. And considered one of the most ambitious social experiments to alleviate poverty in our lifetime. If you work hard. But back then, there was no way to tell if the experiment was working. Today the results are in, and theyre nothing short of stunning. Just ask richar anozier. Do you know what college you want to go to . Stanford. What do you want to do after stanford . I would like to earn my way to being a ceo. Welcome to 60 minutes on cnbc. Im bob simon. In this edition, we look at three groundbreaking approaches to education. First, we visit the seed public charter school, the nations first urban public boarding school. Later, we meet some unlikely students who are getting a liberal arts College Degree behind bars. And finally, we go to the harlem childrens zone under the leadership of Geoffrey Canada. We begin with seed, one of the most successful and innovative Charter Schools in the country. It was started in 1998 in southeast washington, d. C. , where some of the nations most troubled schools are located and where most students dont finish high school. But as byron pitts first reported in 2010, seed students are different. Most graduate and go on to college. Admission to seed is by lottery, open to any family in the district willing to take a chance. Girl 41. Yeah this family was one of the few who won the lottery, a 35,000peryear education paid for by private and government money. Boy 12. Yay only 1 3 of the over 200 or so kids who applied heard their number called. With the childs future at stake, emotions ran high. 38. The grants were another family who won the chance to change their childs life. Yeah when that number was called, describe that feeling. It was just shocking. I didnt think that was gonna happen. Listen, when he said 38, i didnt hear anything but joy. Why does this mean so much to you . Its called opportunity. Weve never had that before. So why not grab it if you can . Here, you know, the sky is the limit. And how about you . Got a big smile. Is this good news . Yes. Seed is the brainchild of Raj Vinnakota and eric adler, two former businessmen who quit their jobs in 1997 to take an old idea and make it new. Theres boarding schools for rich kids. Why arent there boarding schools for poor kids . The intense academic environment, the 24hour aspect, and constant access to role models. Why wouldnt all of those things be just as important for poor kids as it would be for rich kids . We believe very strongly that there is a group of kids for whom the answer is a 24hour supportive educational environment. And theyre not gonna have a shot if we dont give that to them. It all starts here. The seed campus is a fouracre oasis, a safe zone where 340 kids can focus on school free from distractions back at home. Everyone has their own coordinate grid. Seeds goal is to prepare these children academically and socially for college and beyond. The students enter in sixth and seventh grade, 90 of them performing below grade level. Charles adams is the head of school. We are a Public School, and we have a lottery. We get what we get. It could be an honor roll student. It could be a student three, four grade levels behind thats struggling with a number of issues at home. So we get the gamut. I was told you have kids who come here in the sixth grade reading at a secondgrade level. Mmhmm. Is that child going to college . Why not . Why not . I mean because theyre way behind. Because they dont read at a proper reading level. Theyre behind in math. Theyre behind in science. Ill take all of that. Theyre behind in reading. Ill take all of that. And they could be a pain in the neck. Thats my starting point. And you think its working . I know its working. Its a 24hour, 5dayaweek job, which starts on sunday night when the kids check in from their weekends at home. Hey, miss leach. How are you, sweetie . They live in singlesex dorms with strict rules no television and no facebook. The days start early, 6 00 a. M. , and classes run from 8 00 to 4 00. Then theres study hall, extracurriculars, and tutoring. The day ends at 10 00. Anthony, lets go. Its lights out. All right. This kind of structure and support is new to many of these students. Okay, so this is the quad. Whats also new is visiting college as early as middle school. These eighth graders went to see American University in washington, d. C. Its all part of reminding them of their end goal. Listen to these juniors. Show of hands if youre absolutely confident that youre a, going to college, and b, youre gonna graduate college. Hes got both arms up, hes so. [laughter] hes so sure. Seed imbeds college and success and commitment into our minds on a daily basis. Its, like, we build, and we live and we grow into scholars. Scholars. Now, did you have that confidence before you got here or no. No. What gave you that confidence . The teachers. So on the board, things that impressed you or a question you have or something. Teachers put extra emphasis on the basics. Unlike most schools, there are two periods of english and two periods of math per day in middle school. Upperclassmen are required to read 45 minutes a day in addition to their homework. Classes are small with 10 to 15 students. Clearly, you see that theres a lot of dna inside of these strawberries. Teachers like jawan harris know every student personally, their strengths and weaknesses. If a child is failing, how do you help him or her . We usually host tutorials after school. Last week, i sent out an email saying, 5 00 until they get it. What time did they finally get it . I would say my last student was in here probably until about 10 45. 10 45. But what Public School teacher in d. C. Works till 10 45 . I have no idea, but i know that when i leave this building, im walking past my principals office, whos in her office talking to another student, and theres another teacher still in their office, so it happens often. That kind of dedication and personalized instruction has paid off. Im awesome. [laughter] by 2012, tenth graders at seed were scoring 55 higher in reading and 40 higher in math compared to other minority students in their area. But seed isnt just about academics. Theres a life skills curriculum taught in the evenings. The core values are respect, responsibility, integrity, selfdiscipline, and compassion. Students learn social skills like selfdiscipline and etiquette. Can anybody raise their hand and tell me why the skill of public speaking is important . It helps your selfconfidence. Definitely helps your selfconfidence. Good one. [ticking] coming up, the measure of success. What i think success is its kind of what youre like. Youre smart, intelligent. Youre a nice reporter. You dress nice. Your shoes are pretty. And just thatknowing that youre gonna be something in life. You gonna make it . Yes. More on the seed school when 60 minutes on cnbc continues. [ticking] i make a lot of purchases for my business. And i get a lot in return with ink plus from chase like 60,000 bonus points when i spent 5,000 in the first 3 months after i opened my account. And i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services and at Office Supply stores. 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Sleep train your ticket to a better nights sleep [ticking] hows class going . Its been going great. Director of outreach lesley poole has been at seed from the start. No one has pulled themself up by their own bootstraps, right . Like, everyone has a story about somebody who helped them. And youre letting them hold on to your bootstraps, and youre helping to pull them up. Im giving them everything i have. You get the sense seed is more of a calling than a job for people like poole. They dont simply have to raise a kids test scores. They have to change their values. I think the average middle School Student comes into seed and says, i have to do two hours of homework . Really . I have to tuck my shirt in all the time . Really . I have to go to bed at 9 00 at night . I need to get eight hours sleep . Does it really take all of that just to be successful in school . It takes all that. Frances blackmon and melvin brown have learned that. Are you guys happy, glad that you decided to come to seed . Both yes. Do you think youll stay here till you graduate . Both yes. Youre certain of that . Both yes. Why are you so certain . cause i know this is where i want to be, and this is where my future is gonna start. A whole new beginning of life. Thats what seed is for you . Mmhmm. But you guys have long school days, right . Yeah, we get out at 4 00. Do you mind being at school that long . Both no. cause im getting more education into my brain. More education into your brain. When youre in class and you dont understand something, the teachers will take time out after school and during school to help, try to help you, and they, like, they show compassion for you. Compassion for you. Do you guys have any doubt that youre gonna be successful . No. No. And what does success look like . Youre always supposed to believe in yourself. Do you believe in yourself . Yes. What i think success is its kind of what youre like. Youre smart, intelligent. Youre a nice reporter. You dress nice. Your shoes are pretty. And just thatknowing that youre gonna be something in life. You gonna make it . Yes. And then there are students like rojay ball who may not make it. He came here to escape his old neighborhood, where guns and Gang Violence are common. In 2009, in one turf battle, rojay was shot in the leg. Weeks later, he was shot at again, but at seed, he says he feels safe. When i come here, i feel as though i can just be laid back without worrying about nobody having to attack me or Say Something wrong to me. Someone could hurt you in that world. Yeah. Someone could kill you in that world. Yeah. Rojay ball. At seed, rojays an athlete. Hes a b student. Teachers say hes not a troublemaker. Yet his loyalty to his old neighborhood, his old friends runs deep. How many Close Friends do you have back at the neighborhood numberwise . Around, like, ten. How many of those guys are going to college . Id say none. A lot of people in your life feel like youre on the fence, that you could go this way and be successful, go to college, or you could go this way and end up someplace else. Do you feel that at all . Well, i always feel as though, like, im gonna graduate from college. When i come to seed, im in this world where as though im comfortable enough to focus in class, do my homework every day, like, and im prepared for college. But im just trying to escape that world, like, my outside world. But its something thats right there thats just, like, holding me up, holding me back. Cant let it go . I just cant. Like a magnet, it pulls you back. Mmhmm, just like a magnet. You think rojay will graduate from here . Oh, i do. Oh, come on. I do. And he will go to college . I do. What makes you think rojay can be successful . I mean, this is a kid whos been shot, shot at. I dont think its in me to not think they can be successful. He has some Capacity Building in front of him. But rojay still has hope, and he still has potential, and so id just as soon not give up on him until, you know, until he makes it and he can believe for himself. Thats part of the success formula here getting these kids to believe in themselves as much as you believe in them. We set high expectations. I think we push our students until they can own that, and they begin to set expectations for themselves. But some dont. Seed loses 12 of their students every year. The reality is, you cant save everybody. The reality is that were gonna work our darnedest to save everybody. Were not gonna give up on any child. We are gonna work to create an environment where every single child can succeed. In the end, have there been and will there be some children for whom the clock just runs out on us . Sure, it happens. Well never accept it. We will always work to make that not happen. Seeds commitment to its students has brought them attention. President obama, who is looking for ways to improve innercity schools, visited in 2009. This school is a true success story, a place where, for four of the last five years, every graduate from the seed school was admitted to college, every graduate. The class of 2009 was on track to do the same. With success like that, vinnakota and adler believe there should be a seed school in every major urban area. They opened a second boarding school in baltimore two years ago, and theyre planning to open a third in cincinnati. The funding comes from a mixture of private donors who pay for startup costs, including building the schools, and then government money pays for most of the operating costs. At every school, the goal is the same a day like this one. Im going to kent state university. Connecticut college. Winstonsalem state university. Kent state university. Raise your hand if youre the first member of your family to go to college. In a single generation, families can not only produce a High School Graduate but a college graduate, and that changes a family forever. And thats why we do what we do. Many of seeds alumni now have degrees from colleges and universities all over the country, and the graduating class of 2012 is its biggest yet. Most have been accepted into college. In 2011, ohio and florida passed legislation that will allow for public boarding schools in each state. Seed hopes to open a school in cincinnati in 2013 and then in miami. And as for rojay ball, he left seed in 2011 and enrolled in another school in washington. [ticking] coming up, teaching 18thcentury european history behind bars. Did you have to make the course easier for the prisoners than you did for the students at bard . Once i was there three weeks, i just made it harder. Harder. Yes. Maximum Security Education when 60 minutes on cnbc returns. [ticking] show em the curve. Its beautiful. Its more than that. Its perfect. 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Its beautiful. Its more than that. Its perfect. Introducing curved Ultra High Definition Television from samsung. [ticking] its been welldocumented that one of the best ways to rehabilitate criminals is to educate them while theyre in prison. But who wants to pay for prisoners to go to college when most people have trouble paying for their own kids tuition . Well, we found one college that does bard, where a prestigious private college is offering liberal arts degrees to some inmates in new york state, and it doesnt cost taxpayers a cent. As we reported in 2007, its not what you think goes on in a maximum security prison. [orchestral music]] [applause] it looks and sounds like an ordinary College Graduation ceremony the caps and gowns, the handing out of diplomas. [applause] but these men receiving their degrees from bard college will not be leaving to go out and make their mark on the world. This is an upsidedown cake. We go, and you remain here. Here is the eastern correctional facility, a maximum security prison in new york state. Most of the men got here by committing Violent Crimes assault, rape, and murder with sentences ranging from seven years to life. Its not the type of place youd expect to walk into and find the inmates studying 18thcentury european history. If you brought with you and i hope you did olympe de gouges declaration of the rights of woman and the female citizen. The bard College Program, which is privately funded, has been in this prison since 2001. The academics are tough. How much studying do you guys do . [laughter] maybe five or six hours a day outside of class. The classes they take change each semester. The fate of most dictators is that nobody wants to give them asylum. But what they have in common is that theyre not practical courses. Theyre true liberal arts courses, like english, sociology, philosophy, and german. Okay, sehr gut. Thats right, german. Berlin. [together] berlin. Berlin. Salih israel pushed for a german course because, he says, he wanted