This interdisciplinary cross-cultural research project surveyed teachers in elementary schools in five countries: South Africa, Australia, Jamaica, England, and the United States. This study attempted to define and identify best practices used in teaching children considered to be "at-risk" in these five countries: Three research questions guided this study 1). How do classroom teachers define children "at-risk" in their culture and country? 2). How do classroom teachers identify children "at-risk" in their classrooms? 3). What educational strategies do teachers implement to make learning meaningful for children "at-risk" for academic failure in their classrooms. An extensive cross-cultural literature review was conducted by the research team and a summary of the most frequently cited best practices for teaching children considered to be "at-risk" from the five countries was presented. In addition, detailed responses by classroom teacher study participants that addressed the three key research questions were also included.