In the American public education system there is an achievement gap between minority and low-income students and their white middle-class counterparts. This gap shows up on many different measures of academic success—achievement test scores, aptitude tests, grades, and college entrance exams—as well as in physical and financial measures such as the states of school buildings and the spending per student. Consequently, many low-income and minority children fall victim to the streets because public education, the only formal education available to them, has not provided them with the opportunities and skills to succeed. Many education initiatives have attempted to redress the problems in public education: however, none have reduced the gap. Culturally responsive instruction (CRI), especially when utilized from early childhood on, improves the quality of instruction and the effectiveness of teachers, which leads to a higher graduation rate across the spectrum of diversity. CRI allows students from diverse backgrounds to raise their achievement levels in the classrooms because in the CRI model, they are learning from their own cultural and personal experiences, a kind of learning that is vital especially to members of suppressed communities because it creates a sense of equality, respect, and dignity. CRI improves all students' achievement also by allowing students and teachers to develop understandings of others' cultures, views, and beliefs. For CRI to be beneficial, there must be a collaborative effort by all stakeholders to research, develop, and implement the most effective strategies and policies—those that promote academic success for all students.