By Shannon Sturgis Latoya Goree has returned to Little Rock to start her own charter school.

LITTLE ROCK — As the Head of School for the new inner city Little Rock Preparatory Academy charter school, which will hold its first classes this fall, it is part of Latoya Goree's job to hire faculty and staff, and she doesn't mind striking fear into them in the process.

"They need to understand the intensity of what we do," said Goree, who, at 30, has been both teacher and administrator. "Yes, we're educating, but we're also changing lives. Most of our students, even in this day and age, will be first generation college graduates - or even high school for that matter.

"For underprivileged kids, like myself, college can transform their life," she said.

That she speaks of higher education and yet will run a school that will only serve fifth grade in its first year, growing by one grade up to eighth over time, is no mistake. "Preparatory" isn't just part of the name. With most kids suffering a 35 percent loss of material as they progress from elementary to high school, performing at or above grade level will be expected at Goree's school.

A native of Little Rock and graduate of Hendrix College, Goree spent four years with the Academics Plus Charter School in Maumelle, teaching Latin and social studies to middle schoolers. After earning a master's degree in education in 2005, she got a call out of the blue to join the administration integrating technology and curriculum at Stratford Academy, an elite, old money private school in Macon, Ga.

"I had planned to stay at Academics Plus. I had completed my master's and wasn't planning on going anywhere," she said. "But it was one of the best experiences of my life to get out of everything familiar."

That included a little bit of culture shock, from growing up in inner city Little Rock to being only the second black to be part of the school faculty and the first in an administrative position. It's a school where Civil War reenactments are held on campus and tuition at the time was around $10,000 a year. But the academic atmosphere left an indelible impression, Goree said.

"The core of that school wasn't the $10,000 a year. The core of that school was that all the teachers cared about their students. The teachers were dedicated to the success of each student : and took the time to make sure they were learning."

It's a lesson Goree knew she would take forward when she decided she wanted to start a charter school of her own in Arkansas.

"I feel that, from my experience growing up and my work experience, it doesn't take $10,000 a year to educate any kid. What it takes is core beliefs, : dedication, and showing kids that college is not an option."

After two years in Macon, she was recruited to participate in the Boston-based Building Excellent Schools Fellowship Program, an intensive nine-month course in creating quality urban schools that cater to traditionally underserved populations. It took five interviews - one of them a marathon five-hour face-to-face meeting - but she got into the program. Moving back to Little Rock but flying to Boston every month for nearly a year, she studied charter schools and education reform from a national perspective and adopted a model for Little Rock Prep based on principles successfully employed elsewhere: have high expectations and accept no excuses.

Researching and writing the charter (which is basically the contract between the school and the state allowing it to operate), Goree got approval in November and began the long process of staffing the school and recruiting students, canvassing neighborhoods herself. Unlike in most states, she had to secure facilities before the charter could be approved, and after an exhaustive search, found a location in the education building of the Liberty Hill Baptist Church at 1205 Schiller St. Importantly, though, as a public institution, the school has no affiliation with the church, only a landlord-tenant relationship.

But the neighborhood - only a few blocks from her alma mater, Central High - is important, Goree said. Though open to any student in the state, the mission of the school is to educate traditionally underserved students. In doing that, it will expect high standards in academic achievement as well as discipline. Being part of the community and part of the neighborhood is important in creating that culture, Goree said.

For the time being, though, she works out of an office in an enviable location - just above the Community Bakery downtown. It was space leased out of necessity, she said.

"If I worked from home all I'd do is sleep and watch the Young and the Restless," she laughed. Either that or spend time with her 2-year-old daughter, Charlotte, the "sweetest 2-year-old ever" and "my best friend."

It's a rare personal comment from Goree, who is approachable and conversational (and will call her students her "children" if she doesn't consciously stop herself), but admits she doesn't much like talking about herself. In fact, she said one of the hardest parts of the Building Excellent Schools Fellowship was delivering an "elevator speech" about herself and why she wanted to be there.

But she learned to adapt and got though it, just as she acclimated to the upper middle class environs of Macon and the hectic northern way of life in Boston - and just as she has transitioned from the head of the classroom to head of the school.

"Some teachers love to be in the classroom : but I felt being confined to the classroom, I wasn't doing enough," she said. "I feel like my mission in life is to be exactly where I am."

Third Degree

What one book does everyone need to read as part of their life and education?

"For education, Cultural Literacy by E.D. Hirsch. For life, Nasty People [by Jay Carter] - I'd give it as a stocking stuffer. As a life book, people need to read that as a guide."

What would you choose to have as your last meal?

"A homemade cheeseburger and french fries and an Oreo milkshake."

Who would you choose to play you in a movie about your life?

[laughs] "Okay, everyone tells me I look like Queen Latifah, so let's go with that."

What's your favorite band?

"Maroon 5, because they're awesome. I go nuts every time I hear their song on the radio."

If you could take a two week vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?

"Santorini, Greece. I love Greek and Roman culture and Santorini is just beautiful. I'd go to Cyprus and Crete, but I don't think I'd come back. Maybe that's why I haven't been."