A beautiful, modern campus can greatly benefit students, but it needs an experienced, capable leader. Kaufman elicited controversy at his yeshiva over his decision to hire headmaster Daniel Vitow, a secular director in what is traditionally a religious role. They spent a year developing curriculum and strategy before opening the school. "Do not get started unless you have the right administrator," says Kaufman, who refers to Vitow as the school’s CEO.

"There’s a choice now for parents and philanthropists. I could have never contributed to public education before."   — Courtney Sale Ross

Fundraising rounds out the list of critical elements for a school’s success. Rogers and Agassi initially planned to leverage the two-time U.S. Open champion’s talent by hosting tennis exhibitions. After six months of research, the executive director they hired returned with a 157-page report and concluded they could never raise enough money with a tennis exhibition.

Rogers’ first reaction was that the director had just talked herself out of a job. He then decided to adapt and planned a broader event. The result, the Grand Slam for Children, has become an annual tradition in Las Vegas, drawing performers such as Barbra Streisand and Usher. Last year’s concert brought in $10.5 million, including $2.5 million from Agassi and Rogers. Ten more concerts are planned to raise the second half of a $120 million endowment. Agassi personally donates about $1 million annually to fund the foundation’s administrative costs, so donors know their contributions will go directly toward programs for the children.

Failing Grades
There is some evidence that many of these investments of time, effort and resources are in vain. Indeed, a national report on the charter movement shows that, overall, the regulatory freedom these schools enjoy does not guarantee their success. Based on test scores, charter schools’ average performance is no higher than that of public schools, according to research by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) in Washington, D.C. Then there are the outright failures: More than 400 charter schools have closed, including 60 in California in 2004 alone.

Charter schools’ lackluster track record raises the larger issue of whether they are the most effective answer to the achievement problems educational philanthropists wish to address. "For every case that’s cited as an exemplary charter school, there’s one at the other end," points out Rebecca Jacobsen, an EPI researcher. "The real question becomes: Is that worth it?"

Many school backers say they look beyond metrics such as test scores. Both Ross and Kaufman say they established their schools to nurture each student’s individual strengths. Students at the original private Ross School are not measured by the yardstick of the New York State Regents exams. Instead, they engage in broader endeavors, such as senior projects that range from digitally animating a feudal Japanese short story to creating a business plan for a clothing line. Every member of the 2006 graduating classes of Ross and the North Shore Hebrew Academy High School is going to college, with 20 percent of North Shore’s grads attending Ivy League schools.

Helzberg boasts that 100 percent of University Academy’s graduates go to college, but admits he is not proud of the school’s 30 percent attrition rate. While some student test scores have improved, University Academy failed to make adequate yearly progress in 2004-05 as mandated by No Child Left Behind. This year, the Missouri State Department of Education deemed the school in need of further improvement. Agassi Prep made satisfactory progress last year under No Child Left Behind, but has had to weather what Rogers terms "massive principal turnover."

Since beginning their journey in November 1993, Agassi and Rogers have devoted far more hours—and dollars—than they expected. Rogers says he now spends about 20 to 25 percent of his time volunteering, while Agassi has conducted 75 tours of Agassi Prep for potential donors and other influential visitors. But they have discovered they enjoy philanthropy with no graduation date. "I feel like it’s become a life commitment," Agassi says. "This isn’t something you just do once and forget about."

Catherine Curan, based in Brooklyn, is a frequent contributor to Worth.

Photograph by Larsen & Talbert/Icon International.

Additional Information
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