Each school district aims for high results; some consistently exceed expectations while others fail. 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, lower socioeconomic status is prevalent in both rural and urban areas. However, students from urban neighborhoods are the most culturally diverse. Many people would assume that a teacher in a rural school would use similar teaching strategies to those in an urban school. However, this assumption is incorrect for several reasons. Students in urban schools experience many challenges unique to their location and the social problems that exist. This research presentation will serve as a guideline for the success of urban school administrators and teachers. In this unique environment, it is essential that teachers rely on the most important resource they have: the student body. Urban districts have many disadvantages and face tribulations in their quest to become a high-performing (meeting standards) school. 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. In these urban districts, a top-down approach is commonly used, and teachers say they feel like the wrong people are making the most important decisions. Many administrators believe this is necessary in today's urban educational environment because of the number of first-year teachers hired each year. Another reason district administrators create a curriculum is because of the paperwork needed to succeed in school. In experimental studies, urban schools that use service-learning as a curriculum guideline saw attendance and test scores increase while behavior problems subsided. Laws, such as No Child Left Behind, that threaten failing schools with punitive sanctions if test scores do not meet a standard, are fueling the growing pandemic that America's failing urban schools represent. 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 cultural background. Motivation and personalization are essential; By tapping into their interests and lifestyle, teachers can bridge the gap between success and repeated failure.