School systems are often faced with the daunting task of ensuring measurable success among youths who have been held back. In middle school, those students may "mentally" drop out – a prelude to actually doing so in high school. Richard Carpenter, now deputy superintendent of instruction for the Jefferson Parish Public School System, recognized this problem and worked to create an intervention program that would kick in before the students themselves lost hope.

Based on interviews with middle school students, he found that students who had been held back would be less likely to drop out if they could return to the grade proper to their age. In other words, what motivated these students was the desire to catch up with their peers. So in the aftermath of Katrina, Mr. Carpenter assembled a team to plan two alternative schools for sixth and seventh graders who had been held back at least twice. Despite administrative challenges, Mr. Carpenter kept his vision on the fast track.

The schools allow those students to make up two years of coursework in one academic year. They position students to take the eighth grade LEAP test and pass on to ninth grade. Among the more than 200 students who participated in the inaugural school year, approximately one third passed the LEAP test, with many more students expected to pass after summer school. As a result, kids who might otherwise have lost confidence in academics and in themselves can now imagine a promising future.