In this exploration of school improvement work, two teachers at two schools worked hard to improve literacy achievement, but the performance at only one of the schools resulted in significant growth. By spending time observing classrooms and interacting with students, the authors believe that two factors made the difference: school structures and instructional procedures. The more successful school used time to their advantage and agreed to specific content literacy strategies that were used across the school day to develop students' thinking skills. (Contains 2 tables.)