As the authors joined the growing number of prominent adolescent psychologists and educators in arguing that "organizing four years of high school around grades and college admissions is a virtual guarantee that a teenager's natural commitment and enthusiasm are likely to be undermined," they wondered if the enduring habits they value most for learning--curiosity, self-motivation, self-direction, perseverance in adversity--conflicted with the achievement culture's pressure to "succeed" based on externally driven criteria. In light of their mission, how were their students' attitudes about success affected by these sometimes conflicting pressures? To help them address these concerns, the authors partnered with The Center for the Study of Boys' and Girls' Lives (CSBGL). Established in 2000-2001 in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education, CSBGL is a collaborative research consortium of nine independent schools and Penn faculty designed to help schools conduct their own evidence-based research in order to examine and improve their educational practice. By surveying their students and listening to them carefully during in-depth interviews, the school's research team (comprising teachers, administrators, and CSBGL staff members) had the opportunity to examine how the school's educational priorities--fostering motivation and love of learning in students--related to the students' beliefs about success. (Contains 3 notes.)