Since the 1970s, both authors have been involved in the school reform movement, sharing a passion for improving public education, particularly urban public education. Their experiences as teacher and professor in an urban magnet laboratory school reinforced their belief in the ability of all children to learn. They state that, within the magnet school, the real difference was not who the students were, but rather how they were treated. Thus, they saw firsthand that these students from poverty-stricken homes could achieve at the highest levels when they were provided with appropriate preparation and excellent teachers. Furthermore, in this article they present their collaborative research studies, which highlights the power of site-based courses in transforming preservice teachers' beliefs about urban schools and dispelling myths about teaching urban children.