Administrators and teachers willing to meet the challenge of improving student and school performance would be well advised to read Curing Student Underachievement. The diagnostic and prescriptive strategies presented in this book cut through the political, cultural, and social traditions of failure that limit the effectiveness of most reform efforts.

The authors make clear that there are no magic answers or silver bullets. Instead, they make a compelling case that clinical practices and protocols can be used to uncover the root causes of failure and develop prescriptions that focus valuable time and energy on remedies that positively impact performance.

The challenge of reversing student underachievement in the 21st century can be met through the new thinking and improved perspective offered in this book. It is time to adapt clinical practice for education in order to improve professional diagnostic and prescriptive practices focused on the specific needs of learners and teachers.

The training and professional development of teachers and administrators must evolve in much the same way as it did for physicians over the last century-and-a-half to improve the skills of diagnosis, prescription, and prognosis so that the causes of district, school, and student failure can be addressed through interventions that cure the problem and help prevent further failure locally and nationally.