Q: There's a lot wrong with our country's education system. But in what ways is it working?

A: If you're affluent, you can buy high expectations and personalized education and accountability. But now we're seeing that kids in the poorest areas can also learn when they're treated the same as those who have money. Look at Green Dot, for example. We take kids in areas with 60 to 70 percent dropout rates, and 80 to 90 percent of them graduate and three-fourths of them are going on to four-year colleges. So the good news is that we know what works.

"The squeaky wheel gets the oil.
You've got to show up and be vocal.
Your kids' lives depend on it."

Q: What's the biggest challenge to children getting a quality education?

A: Tribal warfare. Whenever you bring up problems in public education, people immediately track into their tribe. There's the charter school tribe, for example. And then there's the union tribe. Then there's the "because I run a business, I can run schools" tribe. And the academic tribe. The problem is, we're all so blinded by our own defensiveness that we can't even see when people in other tribes have the same outlook. How do you find the common good we all believe in? We have to come together to fix this problem.

Q: What can parents do now to improve their children's schools?

A: Expect more from your leaders. You know, if the garbage didn't get picked up for three weeks, there would be a recall, there would be blood shed, because we have high expectations for garbage pickup. But we have no expectations for schools. We just get mesmerized about how tough the issue is. But if you have money or you're in a neighborhood where there's a charter school or a good public school, the problem seems solved. We have to band together and demand that all public schools look like those really great schools.

Q: What do you say to parents who don't know where to start?

A: Know what you're asking for. Let's say I had unlimited money for a private school. First, I would want it to be small because I wouldn't want my kid to fall through the cracks. Second, if my kid's behind, I would expect the school to get him up to speed. Third, every dollar should go to the classroom and the teachers. Next, I would want to be involved and have input. And finally, I would want accountability; if my kid shows up without homework for two weeks, I'd like to be able to call the school and not get indifference or a voicemail.

Q: What are the top issues that you feel parents are concerned about now?

A: I was with some families the other day, and the biggest thing to them was class size reduction. But when I was in college, I had some classes that had 500 students, and they were the best classes you could have. Then I had some classes that had 10 students, and they didn't really have any value.

Q: What was your inspiration for starting charter schools?

A: I had a younger brother who passed away from drugs. That sent a shock wave through my system: What am I accomplishing in life? Green Dot schools are small enough that the adults get to know every kid and value each one as exceptional. Now I walk around Green Dot campuses and see these kids who are not basketball stars or AP champions or cheerleaders, and I see my brother's eyes in all of them. He was a chubby little kid who never really got any attention or nourishment of his talents. You know, I think in the schools I'm creating, my brother would have kicked butt.

Green Dot schools are based on their "Six Tenets of High-performing Schools." To read the tenets or get more information about Green Dot Public Schools go to GreenDot.org.