In 2005, the graduation rate for the Council Bluffs Community School District was, at 68 percent, the lowest in Iowa. District leaders knew that to improve, they needed to create a cultural change throughout the community. They began by getting community members involved in creating a strategic plan and mission statement that included a guarantee…

In one Iowa school district's (state mandated) global education program, students contemplate (1) their roles and stakes in world issues; and (2) ways to pursue dreams and desired outcomes through available governmental and nongovernmental avenues. A sidebar describes the Odyssey of the Mind international problem-solving competition. (MLH)