It's a question that pops out during a ride in the car, at the dinner table, through a recently-slammed door after a fight about finishing up homework: "What good is all this stuff I'm learning in school going to do me in the real world?" Programs that make a strong, direct connection between school learning and future career options can be powerfully motivating for students, even those who eventually choose a different path. Gayle Hargreaves reports on one such program that introduces teens to museum careers.

On a routine visit to the nation's capital, a high school class from Arizona changed one of the city's most visited monuments and became a national model for incorporating community service and academic curriculum.