The single greatest issue facing American education today is how to improve the education of low achievers and other students at risk of school failure. Currently, elementary school students who have fallen behind academically are placed into special classes designed to eliminate those deficiencies. Students meet in a small group with either a resource specialist or an instructional aide for about half an hour each day. This half-hour is the result of a redistribution of instructional time and adds nothing to the total amount of instructional time the student receives. Most of the programs require that students be pulled out of the regular classroom to meet with a resource specialist. Those schools that use instructional aides for in-class instead of pull out programs usually do so for the pragmatic reason that a half-day aide is cheaper to support than a full-time credentialed teacher. However, research indicates that the instructional program, not its setting, is the key to program effectiveness. The following critical strategies for improving the education of at-risk students are discussed: (1) make at-risk students a priority in the school; (2) take a comprehensive approach; (3) invest in staff development; (4) raise expectations for at-risk students; (5) provide more quality time for learning; (6) coordinate instruction for each student; and (7) intervene as early as possible. A list of nine references is appended. (FMW)