By far the most important factor in the success or failure of any school, far more important than tests or standards or business-model methods of accountability, is simply attracting the best-educated, most exciting young people into urban schools and keeping them there.

Kozol’s claim shifts the debate about school improvement away from technocratic levers—standardized testing regimes, formal standards, and corporate-style accountability—and toward the human core of schooling: teachers. He argues that the decisive variable in urban education is whether schools can recruit and retain highly educated, energetic young educators who can inspire students and sustain demanding work over time. Implicitly, the quote critiques reforms that measure outcomes without investing in the conditions that make excellent teaching possible (supportive leadership, manageable class sizes, professional respect, and livable pay). The emphasis on “keeping them there” highlights retention as a moral and structural challenge, not merely a staffing issue.