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Can physical structure promote learning culture? When co-founders Kimberlie Day and Diana Shulla-Cose decided they did not want to place a metal detector in their 365-student flagship school in Chicago, that was the argument they had to make to skeptical neighbors.

At Perspectives, the question of school culture and climate is not a side note鈥攊t鈥檚 at the core of the school鈥檚 mission.

鈥淓ven if you don鈥檛 build it, a culture will be established. And if it鈥檚 not deliberate, it鈥檚 not as productive as students need it to be,鈥� says Day. Students and all staff members are trained in 鈥淎 Disciplined Life,鈥� a set of 26 principles laid out by school founders and associated with productive lives, divided into self-perception (for instance: 鈥淪eek wisdom鈥�), communication (鈥淪olve conflicts peacefully鈥�), and productivity (鈥淏e reliable鈥�).

鈥淭he culture鈥檚 allowed us to go into a community where the graduation rate was 35 percent and have a grad rate of 85 percent,鈥� Day says.

The charter network鈥檚 flagship building was designed with the goal of facilitating that culture. A large 鈥渇amily room鈥� in the center of the building provides a place for students to congregate, and is an open space for various meetings and groups.

鈥淗aving the triangular shape where everything鈥檚 connected means you can literally see the whole school. It makes it really easy to have a pulse on the school,鈥� says Patti Buckland, who teaches 9th and 11th grade math.

The walls are decorated with the school鈥檚 principles. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a constant reminder,鈥� says Anissa Wilson, an 18-year-old senior.

Some features that might raise safety concerns鈥攖he lack of metal detectors, for example鈥攕ignal to students that they鈥檙e trusted. Students have lockers, which some schools have removed to prevent the storage of weapons or drugs. The building鈥檚 windows open and close, so students can get fresh air.

鈥淭he goal is, we鈥檙e a family at each grade level and as a school. ... We鈥檙e not people who鈥檇 take things out of lockers,鈥� Day says. 鈥淭ruth be told, stuff still happens. But in every case, a student has told a teacher. Truly, the culture of 鈥楢 Disciplined Life鈥� is what鈥檚 protecting us.鈥�

Wilson says the school feels like a safe place to learn, and she notes the absence of incidents like fights that she hears about from friends at other public schools. 鈥淥ur school doesn鈥檛 tolerate that,鈥� she says.

The Perspectives network鈥檚 other four buildings are located in more typical school buildings, with cinder block walls and long hallways of classrooms. And while 鈥淎 Disciplined Life鈥� also is used at the network鈥檚 other schools, 鈥測ou can feel the culture in the [flagship] building,鈥� says Day.