How can you create an authentic learning environment - one where students ask questions, do research, and explore subjects that fascinate them - in today's standards-driven atmosphere? Author Larissa Pahomov offers insightful answers based on her experience as a classroom teacher at the Science Leadership Academy a public high school in Philadelphia that offers a rigorous college prep curriculum and boasts a 99 percent graduation rate. Pahomov outlines a framework for learning structured around five core values: inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation, and reflection.