As teachers, schools and school leaders work to better prepare California's culturally and linguistically diverse students, methods for doing so vary widely. One approach prioritizes safe spaces, welcoming environments, well-structured routines--school and classroom culture features essential for students' well-being. A second key priority, often harder to achieve, is maintaining and supporting rigorous academic challenges needed for students' current and future success. Academic rigor warrants particular attention, as unchallenging curricula often occur in high-need, lower-income settings with many diverse youth and many English language learners. A combination of nurturing and rigor is essential to educating the student population, but targeted supports are also needed to help students meet achievement goals. The author discusses how a balance of high challenge and high support for diverse learners provides the right context for learning and growth.