The American public education system is in crisis, particularly in our inner cities. An observable academic achievement gap exists in the United States, across race and income. While there are many well-publicized initiatives seeking to improve achievement in reading and math, sadly, a set of skills that is crucial to every academic and career path is all but forgotten: critical thinking and writing. The ability to gather, interpret, and present information is in danger of becoming a lost art, leaving a generation of youth at a huge disadvantage. Nowhere is this more apparent than in inner-city schools.