This volume summarizes a range of scientific perspectives on the important goal of achieving high educational standards for all students. Based on a conference held at the request of the US Department of Education, it addresses three questions: what progress has been made in advancing the education of minority and disadvantaged students since the Brown v Board of Education decision nearly 50 years ago? What does research say about the reasons for successes and failures? What are some of the strategies and practices that hold the promise of producing continued improvements? Achieving High Educational Standards For All draws on the conclusions of a number of important recent NRC reports, including How People Learn , Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children , Eager to Learn and From Neurons to Neighborhoods , among others. It includes an overview of the conference presentations and discussions, the perspectives of the 2 co-moderators and a set of background papers on more detailed issues.