In September the students saw the UI for the first time and the 4th grade students were off and running with very few instructions.

FORBES: Transforming the System: One Student at a Time

Three weeks ago, Ursetta's dream became a reality, as Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy opened its doors to 142 kindergartners and first- and second-grade students in Denver's mostly low-income, largely Hispanic Athmar Park neighborhood.

CNN: Teacher turns 'crazy idea' into new school

In 1990 less than one-tenth of all students who entered first grade went on to graduate from sixth.

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While Glasgow was hunkered down in the closet, Waynel Mayes, a first-grade teacher, distracted her students with songs and games.

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First-grade teacher Kristen Roig herded her students into a bathroom, locked the door and told them not to make a peep.

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The Seattle district requires teachers to give the math and reading Measures of Academic Progress exam, or MAP, to students in first through ninth grade two or three times a year.

WSJ: Seattle Teachers Protest Exams

First grade teachers gathered in the cafeteria to welcome their students into the fold.

NPR: New Orleans Schools Welcome Back Students