Dedication Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Section One: Students and Families Chapter One: How Students Experience School Chapter Two: Addressing School Violence Through Student Connectedness Chapter Three: Jeremy: A Boy on a Tightrope Chapter Four: Family Connections: How Important? Section Two: Teachers and Instruction Chapter Five: The Best Teachers Chapter Six: Professional Development: Large Investment, Limited Results Chapter Seven: Angels of Special Education Chapter Eight: Who Destroyed Co-Teaching at Hanover Middle School? Chapter Nine: Adult Basic Education: A Program in the Shadows Section Three: Schools In Need Chapter Ten: Failing Schools, Faulty Solutions Chapter Eleven: How Useful are External Interventions? Section Four: Testing and Evaluation Chapter Twelve: The National Obsession with Testing Students Chapter Thirteen: Do it Yourself Evaluations Section Five: Summary and Conclusions Chapter 14: Conclusion Appendix: Tool Box