Superintendent Carl Dolente knows two important things about promoting student success: Classroom relationships work, one-size-fits-all cookie-cutters don't.

When it comes to the nation's large and urban school systems, only about a third are pursuing "new or imaginative" strategies to transform teaching into a more appealing profession, says a new analysis

"For students, math is a boring subject," said one Florida parent. "If they don't get it, they get turned off; they don't want to deal with it."

Despite "unprecedented teacher shortages," Keith Miles and his team are focused on aligning the curriculum with students' college-and-career aspirations in brand-new buildings.