This book presents essays from educational reformers who examine efforts aimed at students at risk for failure in U.S. schools. It is divided into four parts. Part 1 considers the factors that place children at risk for educational failure. Part 2 describes the dangers for students of a system that fails to recognize and appreciate their distinctive abilities to learn. Part 3 provides a review of the latest reform efforts at the school, district, and state levels. Part 4 offers new models and analyzes the most current information about the role of schools and how they may best serve students who are at risk. Essays and their authors are as follows: "Becoming at Risk of Failure in America's Schools" (Alesia F. Montgomery and Robert J. Rossi); "Rising to the Challenge: Emerging Strategies for Educating Youth at Risk" (Nettie Legters and Edward L. McDill); "Cultural Dissonance as a Risk Factor in the Development of Students" (Edmund W. Gordon and Constance Yowell); "The Cultural Context of American Indian Education and Its Relevance to Educational Reform Efforts" (Grayson Noley); "'Look Me in the Eye': A Hispanic Cultural Perspective on School Reform" (Rafael Valdivieso and Siobhan Nicolau); "Harvesting Talent and Culture: African-American Children and Educational Reform" (A. Wade Boykin); "Keeping High-Risk Chicano Students in School: Lessons from a Los Angeles Middle School Dropout Prevention Program" (Russell W. Rumberger and Katherine A. Larson); "Char(ter)ing Urban School Reform" (Michelle Fine); "The Dropout Prevention Initiative in New York City: Educational Reforms for At-Risk Students" (Joseph C. Grannis); "Chicago School Reform: A Response on Unmet Needs of Students At Risk" (G. Alfred Hess, Jr.); "Children At Risk in America's Rural Schools: Economic and Cultural Dimensions" (Alan J. DeYoung); "Dropout Prevention in Theory and Practice" (James M. McPartland); and "Identifying and Addressing Organizational Barriers to Reform" (Samuel C. Stringfield). Contains an index. (GLR)