Having studied schools in the past eight years that have high concentrations of students living in poverty, but who consistently exceed the performance of similarly impoverished schools, the authors conclude that such higher-performing schools share common characteristics setting them apart. The three most essential are: Teachers, administrators, and staff collaborate and share responsibility; they make decisions based on a variety of evidence; and their vision of success includes high-poverty students achieving beyond predicted levels. The similarities hold whether the schools are located in urban, rural, or suburban areas, are large or small, or whether their students are native born or recent immigrants.