Angel Leon, who aims to be the first in his family to attend college, is a 10th grader at the North Central Campus of YES Prep Public Schools. This Houston-based network of charter schools sets high expectations for its students, including a requirement that each student win admission to at least one four-year college or university to earn a diploma. Most of the students, like Mr. Leon, are first-generation college-bound. “I am going to make my parents proud of me,” the 15-year-old says.

Video by Smiley N. Pool for Education Week

This video is part of Education Week's special coverage marking the 25th anniversary of the landmark report A Nation at Risk and is supported in part by a grant from the Broad Foundation.