Left Behind brings forth valuable research in analyzing the achievement gaps in urban high schools while illuminating the oft-ignored political scaffolding that upholds such inequities. St. John, Milazzo Bigelow, Callahan Lijana, and Massé urge for the creation of new common standards that mandate district changes to fulfill all students' specific educational needs and help fulfill their wishes of attending college . . . Left Behind perhaps most importantly situates education as a political problem that manifests itself in the lives of some of our most vulnerable students, while also focusing on the massive political power of our policymakers who determine the quality of life for generations of families to come.—Mali Collins-White, University of Delaware, National Political Science Review