We observed the students in the classroom and at recess. In the classroom, the students were acutely aware that summer school was about to end. On top of that, the assignment was to fill out a tax form. It took several minutes for the students to begin their assignments. Before beginning the assignment, they argued with each other over seemingly trivial items. However, only two students simply refused to do the assignment and were told to leave the class.
After these students left, the class settled down somewhat. Roughly half the students genuinely attempted to do the assignment. The other half argued, tapped pencils, gave excuses for not doing the assignment, and seemed generally uninterested.
At recess, the students seemed animated. They congregated into small groups, and were usually, but not always, in small, mixed groups. They dressed very casually, often in jeans and t-shirts.
We interviewed several students. They were all interested in sports, and most were interested in computers. They described themselves as nice, friendly, active, caring, and hardworking (especially the girls). Several girls stated that O'Farrell students were intelligent and talented in their academic endeavors as well as their athletic. On the other hand, these same girls expressed their dislike for what they perceive as a gang problem on campus. They explained that there was a lot of violence among the boys and the girls.