Alain Locke Public Charter School

This school, founded in 1999, demonstrates how charter schools enable traditionally under-served children to meet high standards and succeed.

Community Café

The Community Café is a table-service soup kitchen that has served more than 15,000 meals to needy residents since December 2006. Kristen Allcorn founded the Café as part of a high school community service project. In 2008, Kristen received a 2008 Prudential Spirit of Community Award.

Denver's ProComp

Denver's ProComp is a groundbreaking compensation system that links teacher pay to the school district's instructional mission. ProComp has received national attention because it rewards teachers for their professional accomplishments while linking pay to student achievement.

Kalkaska CARES

This program in Kalkaska County, Michigan, serves 164 children aged 3-5, many from economically challenged households. Over half of the children participating in the program have significantly improved their letter recognition, oral language, and print awareness skills.

The Education for Healthy Students Initiative

In Appleton, Wisconsin, almost two-thirds of the residents and 40% of students are either overweight or obese. Learn how the school district is using the Education for Healthy Kids Initiative to integrate health and nutrition concepts into the core curriculum and develop active life-styles for students.

Iris Becker Elementary School

Research suggests that students who study a second language early on develop better critical thinking skills. Learn how Dearborn, Michigan's Iris Becker Elementary is using grant funds from the Department's Foreign Language Assistance Program to teach Arabic to all its students.

Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy

This school is the nation's first Early College-Middle College high school, established in 2002 on the campus of Harbor College. Its mostly minority and low-income students can earn both a high school diploma and an Associate of Arts degree, all at the same time.

Northern Illinois University

Emergency Management for Higher Education grants are designed to help schools improve their ability to prevent tragic events and respond quickly and appropriately to emergencies. Learn how the university is planning to use its grant to improve its Emergency Operations Plan.

International Studies Elementary Charter School

In the past, International Studies Elementary Charter School was a persistently low-performing, traditional school. It faced many challenges to success, including high poverty rates. The school's charter status has made all the difference by providing the flexibility to meet students' educational needs.