Slow learners, such as students with borderline intellectual functioning, represent one of the most challenging student populations for administrators and teachers. Standard systems and supports are often ineffective--even counterproductive--because they fail to meet students' specific learning needs and instead create a cycle of failure. This results in serious consequences for the students--many of whom get held back, develop social and behavior problems, or drop out--and the schools suffer in terms of their student outcome measures. Principals and teachers can help prevent this cycle and promote success for slow-learning students by recognizing that it is most productive to consider borderline intellectual functioning as a risk factor to overcome, not as a sentence to fail. This article discusses the characteristics of slow learners, its definition and prevalence, learning characteristics, interventions, and the need to increase instructional efficiency and academic motivation. (Contains 4 resources.)