Introduction: Shared Qualities PDF (24 KB) | Word (29 KB)

The Profiles: Schools were chosen by numbers of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunches, high state test scores, and diversity of size, grade levels, and geographic locations.

• Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School, Oklahoma City, OK
  PDF (248 KB) | Word (585 KB)
  Now completing its seventh year, Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School (Belle Isle) offers students a rigorous academic program in a highly supportive environment. It is performing close to the state's 2014 goals in both reading and math.

• California Academy of Mathematics and Science, Los Angeles, CA
  PDF (630 KB) | Word (343 KB)
  This high school is based on the premise that, given support and rich opportunities, female and minority students can excel in science and math. Over 95% of CAMS graduates go to four-year colleges and universities.

• Isaac Dickson Elementary School, Asheville, NC
  PDF (229 KB) | Word (380 KB)
  The larger world is this school's curriculum. Dickson is based on the principles of the Foxfire organization so that "the connections between the classroom work, the surrounding communities, and the world beyond the community are clear." Students truly learn by doing.

• Madison Heights School, Phoenix, AZ
  PDF (212 KB) | Word (397 KB)
  Half of the students at Heights are from low-income families and the school's mobility rate tops 60%. However, with a strong, school-wide commitment to high achievement and a focus on assessment, 83% of Madison Heights' 3rd graders performed at or above the state standard in both reading and math.

• T.H. Rogers School, Houston, TX
  PDF (104 KB) | Word (254 KB)
  Through its Vanguard program, Rogers serves gifted and talented children K-5, deaf students pre-school through grade 5, and students with multiple impairments from birth through grade 5. And all three groups of students come together on several levels each day.

• Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, Weehawken, NJ
  PDF (264 KB) | Word (408 KB)
  Wilson students are motivated and high achieving, thanks in part to the school's student-centered philosophy based on an arts-infused curriculum. The vision of "educated, well-rounded students with self-understanding and an ability to use their talents" is its driving force.