Art Jarvis is without a doubt a people person. He treats employees with respect. He knows how to build relationships and create allies. He obviously understands the power of community.

Now, can he deliver results?

That is the biggest question facing Tacoma’s new school superintendent as he begins his second year at the helm and his first without “interim” before his title.

His No. 1 obligation and performance objective has to be improving student achievement and cutting the dropout rate. That’s no small feat anywhere, but it’s especially difficult in an urban district where many students have three strikes against them before they even enter school.

If Jarvis is to succeed, it will take bold initiative – the kind behind the Lincoln Center pilot project.

Jarvis is attempting to crack one of the district’s toughest nuts: How to keep kids at the district’s lowest performing high school engaged and in school. To do so, he has taken a popular principal, Mount Tahoma’s Greg Eisnaugle, and paired him with Lincoln High’s young, passionate leader, Pat Erwin.

The two men approached Jarvis earlier this year with the broad outlines of a plan to reach at-risk kids.Jarvis encouraged them. Provided the school board signs off, the co-principals will launch a new academy this fall aimed at grabbing students when they come through the door as freshmen and holding their attention.

About 140 ninth-graders will attend classes from 7:35 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, and gather two Saturdays a month to round out their course work with field trips, arts studies, cultural learning and tutoring.

Lincoln Center students will get an extra 540 hours of instruction – a substantial investment in their potential. In exchange, kids and their parents will pledge not squander the opportunity. They will sign compacts agreeing to make sure homework gets done and students attend required activities.

The model is new to Tacoma, but not to education. Tacoma administrators are looking at other programs around the country as well as community input as they fill in the outlines of the Lincoln Center program.

The superintendent is taking a risk expending sizable chunks of political and financial capital on an experiment, but that daring speaks well of Jarvis. Empowering capable people to try new things is good management.

Jarvis is asking the school board to support the project – and to hold him accountable for results. The board should grant both requests.