Each school district strives for high achievement; some consistently exceed expectations while others fall short. With nearly 3.2 million teachers employed nationwide (Fast Facts, 2011), school districts are often classified into three groups: urban, suburban, and rural. Within these categories, the lowest socioeconomic status is prevalent in rural and urban areas. However, students in urban districts are the most culturally diverse. Many people assume that a teacher in a rural school uses similar to identical teaching strategies as an urban school. However, this assumption is incorrect for several reasons. Students in urban schools endure many hardships due to their location and existing social issues. This research exposé will serve as a guideline for success for administrators and teachers in urban schools and teachers. In this unique environment, it is critical that teachers value the most important resource they have: the student body. Urban districts have many disadvantages and face my own tribulations in trying to become a successful school (meeting standards). Teachers in urban districts are generally very unhappy compared to those who teach in rural and suburban districts. Many teachers say they are dissatisfied because they feel their role is minimal in making important educational decisions such as curriculum. A top-down approach is commonly used in these urban districts, and teachers say they feel like the wrong people are making the biggest decisions. Many administrators believe it is necessary in today's urban educational environment due to the number of first-year teachers hired each year. Another reason district administrators create a curriculum is so that the documentation needed to succeed in school is in place. In experimental studies, urban schools using service learning as a curriculum guideline saw attendance and test scores increase while behavioral problems eased. Laws, like No Child Left Behind, that threaten non-compliant schools with punitive fines if test scores don't meet a standard, are fueling the growing pandemic that is causing urban schools across the United States to fail. It must be understood that education in the public school system cannot be solved with an old-fashioned cookie-cutter approach; not all schools should be treated the same. The fact is that all schools are unique because they are filled with individuals from their own unique cultural backgrounds. Motivation and personalization are key; By tapping into their interests and lifestyle, teachers can bridge the gap between success and repeated failure.