I just read an interesting perspective.  You have probably heard of the placebo effect.  The study specifically cited  involved patients being given a placebo and being told they were taking penicillin for a virus.  One third of these patients got well.  Additionally, another study showed that if the doctor also believes the patients are being given penicillin, about half got well.  This effect can be seen in many aspects of life.  If students, their teachers, parents, and administrators all believe the students can succeed, most of them will.  It is in large part the attitude that inner city kids can't succeed, poor kids will never rise above their circumstances, etc, that continues to drive down education in such areas.  We first need to adjust these attitudes before we can expect learning to take place.  We need to be up front with students in telling them exactly what they need to do to succeed and tell them exactly how their success will impact them/how their learning applies to their personal lives.   (Any suggestions on how to convince everyone they can learn are welcome.)

Tileston, Donna Walker.  10 best teaching practices:  How brain research, learning styles, and standards define teaching competencies.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2005.