If you look at the research on high schools and the most effective learning opportunities, you'll see a movement toward smaller learning environments . . . that make the kids feel more connected to school.

We have vision, we adopted goals and have set specific benchmarks on how we're going to address them and we have a cooperative superintendent.

The research used chocolate milk and Gatorade. They both have high carbohydrate content, and it's that carbohydrate that helps restore that glycogen back into the muscles.

When nearly a third of our high school students do not graduate on time with their peers, we have work to do. We must design our middle and high schools so that no student gets lost in the crowd and disconnected from his or her own potential.

I sense a difference at both schools. There's an atmosphere that learning is the most important thing.

Does spending more per student lead to increased learning? That's a difficult one. At many schools, the faculty is being paid for its research abilities, not its teaching skills.