1 Meridian Academy Meridian, Idaho When Kim Zeydel began working at Meridian Academy, a school for at-risk high school students near Boise, Idaho, she saw ninth graders doing simple arithmetic, such as “2 + 2,” on their fingers. But she wasn’t too surprised. A winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, Zeydel’s 25 years of teaching math, sociology training, and experience with at- risk children gave her the perspective and knowledge to seek a solution that would bring her students up to speed. “Many of the students who come to Meridian Academy would have dropped out of school if they hadn’t received the intervention we provide,” she said. “When they reach us in ninth grade, many are still working at a fifth- or sixth- gra

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