In 2010 Washington State's persistently lowest performing public schools were identified and published by the superintendent of public instruction. However, no research has described the lived experiences of teachers and administrators who work in those schools. Guided by the combined frameworks of Van Manen and Moustakas, this qualitative study examined the lived experiences of 5 teachers and 5 administrators in the identified schools. Open-ended interviews with these staff were transcribed, reduced, coded, and analyzed for common thematic structures and essences to understand their lived experiences. Five thematic elements were identified in the data analysis: resiliency and agency; reflective teacher-student dialogue; lexical and neurological triggers; physical and emotional stress; and a continued effort to understand the impact of political, economic, social, and cultural values on teaching, learning, and testing. These key results of the study are significant for teachers, administrators, and policy-makers who want to support professional staff in low performing schools. The project, an online "Journal of Title I Schools," facilitates positive social change through peer-reviewed papers, news stories and commentaries, and real-time social media collaboration which includes a student perspective. These outcomes will deepen the public's knowledge of the challenges inherent in these educators' experiences, and in turn, will further the support these educators need to enhance the learning of their students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]