"The banner in Rafe Esquith's classroom at Hobart Elementary School reads: "There are no shortcuts." And his students are a testament to the power of that philosophy. These are kids who speak English as a second language, fourth- and fifth-graders who go to school in a part of Los Angeles where violence and despair are the norms of the neighborhood. But the statistics are not what you'd expect: Esquith's students score in the country's top 10 percent...

A profile of one phenomenal teacher and his eager students who together touchingly demonstrate the power of education. Esquith turns the Asian-American and Latino children of a violence-stricken Los Angeles neighborhood to the wonders of Shakespeare.