By Traci Newell

David Hobbs helps senior Brian Lam with algebra problems at the School for Independent Learners. Joe Hu/Town Crier

Education is what one walks away with regardless of how many times it took to get there.

Based on their belief in that philosophy, Herman Ohme and his wife, Jean, opened the School for Independent Learners in Los Altos in 2001 with no accreditation and three students.

Today the school has more than 200 students, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges accredited the program last year.

“We discovered a niche that no one else discovered,” Herman said. “It’s a niche that enables students to stay in their public schools and do a few subjects outside of that to make up work, accelerate or improve their grade point average.”

The School for Independent Learners offers lessons with an emphasis on success. Herman believes that academic failure is toxic, so he implemented a “do no harm” grading policy. If a student doesn’t understand a key concept or does poorly on a test, the tutor will reteach and retest. The school has 40 tutors available to help students in subjects ranging from French to statistics.

“The ratio of teacher to student ranges from 1-to-1 to 1-to-3,” Ohme said. “We attend to what the kids need and we can go a lot faster. We can deal directly with their shortcomings.”

Both Ohmes are passionate about their services to students and feel strongly that school districts should make the service available at no charge. In the coming months, the Ohmes hope to register the school as a non-profit organization to offer the services more widely.

“The kids are falling through the cracks because the schools don’t have all the means to prevent it,” Herman said.

The Palo Alto couple are veteran teachers with extensive backgrounds in education. Jean has a master’s degree in the education of the handicapped and is qualified in special education. Herman, who has a doctorate in education from the University of Southern California, was principal at Cubberley High School in Palo Alto for eight years. He been working in education for more than 40 years.

Herman has written several books, including “Do No Harm: The End of Unequal Schooling in America,” and published articles on education in academic journals.

“We hold these truths to be self evident, every child is born with an unquenchable thirst for learning and is entitled to the full and free exercise thereof from grade to grade. The ultimate purpose of the knowledge and skills acquired from such learning shall be for the benefit of all humankind,” Herman states in “Do No Harm.”

The school offers full-time enrollment as well as supplemental classes. It can tailor school hours to the student’s schedules, which allows students, such as athletes, equestrians and actors, to maintain full-time education and their commitments.

Jean admits the couple should be retired, but she said they couldn’t quit their passion.

“It’s a dream that we want to leave a contribution to education,” she said. “If this is a viable thing, then it could help everyone. We want schools to be able to offer this on their own.”