At the elementary school level, promising new early intervention programs, such as the Reading Recovery Program (RRP), show ways to succeed with students in the primary grades. The RRP targeted the poorest readers in a first grade class, who were given supplemental, one-to-one planned lessons for 30 minutes each day by a specially trained teacher. The program demonstrated that most participating students were able to keep up with their class after 15-20 weeks in the program. Such programs challenge educators to review their expectations and reconsider what are the most appropriate modes of instruction for at-risk students. In order to strengthen intervention and to prevent problems for disadvantaged students later on, Arizona's legislature earmarked $3 million for competitive grants. The funding was to be awarded in increments of up to $250,000 to school districts that developed projects to identify and test effective early interventions with at-risk students. This information brief profiles three Arizona schools that received the funding: the summer school at Ash Fork, the before- and after-school programs at Littleton, and the school-within-a-school in Ganado. Each of the schools is characterized by a challenging student population and is the lone elementary school in a small district. In each school, themes such as concentrated staff effort, enriched curriculum, and extended quality time are prominent. (RH)