Focusing on Students Opportunities await for those who serve the college-bound crowd.

On one end of the college-planning spectrum, advanced students are competing for coveted spots at the top universities. The CollegeBoard, a nonprofit association dedicated to helping students get a college education, recently reported that more than 15 percent of the public high school class of 2007 achieved a grade of 3 or higher--

which is thought to be an indication of college success--on at least one advanced-placement test. In 2002, that figure was less than 12 percent.

On the other end of the spectrum are high school dropouts who have given up on a higher education. In its May 2008 issue of Educational Leadership, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development reported that the U.S. high school system has largely been neglected. While governments focus on elementary learning, more than 1.2 million U.S. high school students drop out every year, according to the ASCD.