SEED School of Miami

A few miles from the White House in southeast Washington sit some of the worst public schools in America. The students there are mostly poor, mostly black, and their test scores are low. Only one in three finish high school; of those who do go on to college, just five percent graduate. 

But right in the middle of this same area is also one of the most successful and innovative public schools in the country. Started in 1998, the school is called SEED. It's the nation's first urban public boarding school. 

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SEED's commitment to its students has brought them attention. President Obama, who is looking for ways to improve inner-city schools, visited last year. 

"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 president noted in a speech. 

This year's class is 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 they're planning to open schools in Cincinnati and Miami. 

The funding comes from a mixture of private donors who pay for start-up costs including building the schools, and then government money pays for most of the operating costs. 

At every school the goal is the same - going to college. 

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