In a recent international comparative study, the United States public schools did not fare well with the rest of the world. To the disappointment of many, the No Child Left Behind law did little to improve student achievement. Nevertheless, a small pocket of poverty schools worked against the odds of limited resources and performed to new heights of academic excellence. These high-poverty, high-performing schools were studied to identify the common trends and to reveal their secrets of success. The secrets include a unique combination of leadership, curriculum, instruction, assessment, and evaluation. Can the high-poverty, high-performing schools be the success model of our next generation schools? As concerned citizens and stakeholders of education, we need to find out how our country can get back on track to become an educational leader again so we may compete in the fierce global economy.
