We know exactly how to fix America's worst schools. We've done it. So why did we stop?

Harvard economist Roland Fryer discovered something remarkable while studying the Harlem Children's Zone. They had eliminated the racial achievement gap in math and cut it by a third in reading. But how?

Fryer identified five key elements that actually work: extended learning time, data-driven instruction, intensive tutoring, regular teacher feedback, and sky-high expectations. Simple enough, right?

So he tried it in Houston's worst-performing schools. The results? They closed the math achievement gap in just three years. Every high school graduate got accepted to college. Success.

But the improvements didn’t last.

When these schools improved from worst to average, the school board redirected the funding to other failing schools. The successful programs were dismantled. The schools slid right back down.

Fryer's conclusion will frustrate you: We know what works in education. We just don't have the courage to keep doing it.