My apologies to iconic hip-hop artists, De La Soul for I have shamelessly appropriated the title, "Stakes is high" to underscore the importance of the work ahead for educators, students, parents, community members, and researchers as we attempt to develop a generation of what I call "new century" students for a world we can hardly imagine. Through this article, I would like to address the so-called achievement gap, the concept of new century students, and the magnitude of the challenges that lay ahead--particularly as they pertain to African American students.