In the past few years, Viers Mill Elementary School's home-grown leadership team has overseen a striking rise in test scores, especially among its substantial minority population. The school, located in Montgomery County, Maryland, exemplifies the district's strategy of using its human-resources operations as a lever to improve student achievement, particularly in its less-affluent neighborhoods. As districts nationwide seek ways to ensure a sound education for all children, Montgomery County has drawn notice for its unusual concentration on human resources. The 139,000-student district spends 3 percent of its annual budget--or $50 million a year--on recruiting and developing its people. The approach appears to be yielding dividends. Test scores are rising across the county, and performance gaps between students of various racial and ethnic groups are narrowing. That's because, experts say, investing in choosing the right people and providing them with the right kind of training builds a shared culture of language, goals, and methods. Montgomery County officials believe that the attention to staff quality, with all of its attendant expenses, ultimately pays off by building a workforce that speaks a common language about education, has a clear understanding of its mission, and is well prepared to carry it out.