Whether using cooperative learning can improve the academic achievement of inner city middle school students was studied in Gary, Indiana at a school with a population of 503 students. Two seventh-grade classes taught by 1 African American male teacher served as 1 treatment group of 20 at-risk students and one nontreatment group of 24 high achievers. Both groups took the same pretest on a unit about India. The treatment group was taught using cooperative learning with a form of Jigsaw IV (Holliday, 2002). Students in the treatment group were given expert sheets that they used to teach their teammates after quiz results ensured that they had learned the material. Other quizzes and a review through a quiz bowl competition measured student learning. The last element was an individual assessment administered to both groups. Achievement results indicated that the cooperative learning strategies worked well with this group of at-risk students. The approach acknowledged the ways these students want to learn. Eighteen attachments contain student learning sheets and assessments. (Contains 3 tables and 19 references.) (SLD)