Eight year ago, many schools in Texas like this one were plagued by gangs, truancy, and poor academic results. Teachers were ready to try something new. Enter Ernie Cortes—a community organizer who was also disturbed by seeing kids turned off at school. To tap that student potential, Cortes formed an Alliance Schools Initiative to shake up public schools in working-class districts. The Cortes strategy is to work with churches and community activists to break down old hierarchies, to excite and empower teachers, and to reconnect schools to their communities. (27 minutes)