Many young students are not finishing high school and even fewer are entering college. This book demonstrates how some teachers have created classrooms that work for children at risk. They use an integrated, inquiry-driven curriculum to create holistic, language- and literature-based classrooms. Chapter 1 describes the nature of being at risk for school failure, and chapter 2 describes the philosophy of and practices involved in the integrated, whole-language, and learner-centered classrooms. In chapters 3 through 6, teachers share accounts of their individual growth and changes in their classrooms--in an innercity setting, in a rural environment, with learning-disabled students, and with English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students. The eighth chapter summarizes the importance of the whole-language approach for at-risk students and their teachers. Chapter references and a subject and author index are included. (Contains 114 references.) (LMI)