POTTER: Washington Jesuit Academy [WJA] is an independent Catholic school. All of its students are African American or Latino. Most are not Catholic. Tuition is $18,000 a year, but families pay nothing. The money comes mainly from private donations and foundation grants.<\/p>\n
SHANA HAIRE (WJA Parent): I just love my kids, you know, and I want the best for them. If you have your education you can go anywhere. Anything that you want to do in life, you can do it.<\/p>\n
POTTER: Shana Haire\u2019s son, Domonic, is in seventh grade at WJA and willingly gets up before dawn to begin a rigorous 12-hour day at school, 11 months a year.<\/p>\n
DOMONIC HAIRE: It\u2019s fun to do because you learn more every day, you know, you get to interact more with the students, so it\u2019s like it\u2019s another part of your family.<\/p>\n