The Council of the Great City Schools has prepared this ninth edition of Beating the Odds to give the nation an in-depth look at how big city schools are performing on the academic goals and standards set by the states. This analysis examines student achievement in mathematics and reading from spring 2006 through spring 2009. It also measures achievement gaps between cities and states, Blacks and Whites, Hispanics and Whites, and between other student groups. Finally, the report examines district progress. It asks two critical questions: "Are urban schools improving academically?" and "Are urban schools closing achievement gaps?" Key findings include: (1) Mathematics achievement on state assessments is improving in urban schools; (2) Urban school achievement is below state averages in mathematics on state assessments; (3) Gaps in mathematics achievement on state assessments in urban schools appear to be narrowing; (4) Reading achievement on state assessments is improving in urban schools; (5) Urban student achievement on state assessments is below state averages in reading; (6) Gaps in reading achievement on state assessments in urban schools appear to be narrowing; (7) Students in large cities (LC) and those in public schools across the nation (NP) made significant gains on NAEP mathematics in both grades four and eight; reading grade four; (8) A few districts outperform public schools nationwide on NAEP in mathematics; and (9) Some student groups in TUDA districts outperform their counterparts in public schools across the nation on NAEP in mathematics. The report is divided into two sections. The first section explains the purpose of the report, the methods used to analyze the data, and the limitations of that data. It lays out the main findings emerging from the Council's analysis of state assessment data, TUDA, and other information. It also presents graphs and bullets showing critical trends in urban student achievement and changes in urban school demographic patterns. The second section presents individual district profiles reporting demographics and achievement data for each Council district. Earlier print editions of this report included individual district profiles. Appendices include: (1) Number of Districts Reporting and Improving in Figures 1-4; (2) Number of Districts Reporting and Improving in Figures 5-7; (3) Number of Districts Reporting and Improving in Figures 8-11; (4) Number of Districts Reporting and Improving in Figures 12-14; (4) TUDA Participation in Reading and Mathematics; (5) Trends in NAEP Proficiency Levels for TUDA Cities in Math; (6) Trends in NAEP Proficiency Levels for TUDA Cities in Reading; and (7) Calculations. (Contains 23 figures and 16 footnotes.)