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This text brings the voices of students and teachers to American national debates over school accountability and educational reform. Recounting the experiences of two classrooms during one academic year, the work offers a critical exploration of excessive state-mandated monitoring, high-stakes testing pressures, and inequities in public school funding that impede the instructional work of teachers, especially those who serve children of poorer families. Redbud Elementary has no playground, no library, no hot water for the children's hand-washing, and no art classes. Ninety-five percent of the children qualify for a free breakfast or lunch. Most of the children live with a single parent or relative; some live in homes without electricity, running water, or floors. The authors, who moved from comfortable college professor positions to teach in a poor school district, offer an examination of the daily school lives of children who live in crushing poverty and teachers who work under extraordinary stress. They explain why many educational reforms have been off track and argue for more meaningful reforms that can empower teachers and students and better meet the challenges of American communities and the national interest.