1 Teachers College Record Volume 122, 120312, December 2020, 34 pages Copyright © by Teachers College, Columbia University 0161-4681 Teacher and Student Reciprocal Agency in Odds-Beating Schools AARON LEO State University of New York at Albany KRISTEN C. WILCOX State University of New York at Albany CATHERINE KRAMER State University of New York at Albany HAL A. LAWSON State University of New York at Albany MINA MIN Appalachian State University Background/Context: In the field of education, the lens of agency has provided a valuable conceptual alternative to deterministic portrayals of schools as oppressive institutions where teachers and students have little power over the conditions in which they teach and learn. A number of studies have investigated teacher and student agency, but few have explored the relationships between the two, particularly in regard to how teacher and student agency relate in high-need and high-diversity contexts with exemplary student graduation outcomes. Purpose/Focus of the Study: In an effort to address the paucity of research investigating the relationships of teacher and student agency, this analysis draws on seven qualitative case studies of secondary schools achieving a trend of above-predicted (i.e., odds-beating) graduation outcomes. We pursued the overarching research question: What are the relationships between teacher and student agency in odds-beating schools? Setting: The study took place in a purposeful sample of odds-beating secondary schools identified through multiple regression analyses. The sample included schools in rural, suburban, and more urban communities and were distributed across various geographic regions in the state of New York. All schools shared a pattern of above-predicted graduation outcomes, taking into account student demographic factors (percentage of students economically disadvantaged,