Raising academic standards while eliminating achievement gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students are among America's primary national educational goals. According to a growing body of research, America will attain its goals of equity and preparing students to function effectively as citizens and productive workers only through a concerted effort to eliminate socioeconomic barriers that keep many low-income children and youth from school success. Despite the recession, adopting this program on a large scale is economically feasible, and because the child poverty rate is now reaching unprecedented levels, it is more, not less, important to begin to implement a right to comprehensive educational opportunity now.