And it requires replicating innovative ideas that make class feel engaging and relevant -- because most high school dropouts in a recent study said the reason they dropped out was that they weren't interested in class and they weren't motivated to do their work.

WHITEHOUSE: Helping America Become a ��Grad Nation��

Brazil offers a case study in the differences between a middle class created by the state and one that owes more to the private sector.

ECONOMIST: Beyond Wisteria Lane

At the top of her class throughout high school and university study, Yesh thrived in competitive environments.

FORBES: The Existential MBA

Growth of the Cox-2 class was fast and furious until an August 2001 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

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They do not have special lessons as such but meet once a month after school - rising to once a week in their third year - to learn study skills and take on extra work they would not be able to do in a whole-ability class, a recent example being chromatography in chemistry.

BBC: News | Education | Extra help for gifted pupils divides heads

The programs all have one thing in common: Managers from across the globe come together to study and earn a degree, putting in contact executives from a variety of backgrounds more diverse than a typical class cohorts.

WSJ: Traveling the Globe -- Just to Get to Class