How effective is a community's high school in educating its students? Drawing from the work of leading researchers and educators, the Alliance for Excellent Education has identified 10 key elements that every high school should have in place to ensure that all its students are successful. This checklist can help identify the strengths and weaknesses of community schools and guide them in determining the actions leaders can take to help improve them. These key elements include: (1) challenging classes; (2) personal attention for all students; (3) extra help for those who need it; (4) bringing the real world to the classroom; (5) family and community involvement; (6) a safe learning environment; (7) skilled teachers; (8) strong leaders; (9) necessary resources; and (10) user-friendly information.