The solutions start with district leaders lobbying for new state policies, such as redrawing districts intentionally to serve a more racially and economically diverse mix of communities, a new report advises.

"We're changing lives," says Alabaster City School District Superintendent Wayne Vickers who declares they're looking at a 99% graduation rate this year. Here's how he's turned the district from "good" to "great."

A superintendent's time horizon is longest of all: budgeting, capital projects, strategic initiatives and changing state requirements—and this is the time to prioritize those issues.

If enacted, the cuts would leave nearly every Minneapolis school with less money to spend. Add that to the list of huge challenges facing MPS leaders, with student enrollment declining, and tense teacher contract negotiations still ongoing.