Good schools can go a long way toward helping poor children achieve more, but the fact remains that educational inequity is rooted in economic problems and social pathologies too deep to be overcome by school alone. Ending the cycle of disadvantage requires prevention and early intervention programs that help families who are desperately struggling to do the best for their children. Childcare, family support, and community-based programs working in public settings and social service agencies are a critical part of the "closing the gap" equation. But they are not nearly enough. If the federal government is serious about improving the learning of children in poverty, then policy makers will heed seven essential characteristics for breaking the cycle of disadvantage.