To Drill & Kill or Follow Best Practices?

I am at a crossroads.
With only 42 minutes per class one has to be picky and choosy on which path to take when teaching new concepts.

Currently I have been opting for the road of best practices.
We connect the math to real life.
We draw the pictures so we can actually see it.
We use the correct vocabulary...over and over and over again.
We practice problems within the confines of my four walls to identify any misconceptions and misthinking.
We read for understanding, to make sense of those tough subjects.
We use graphic organizers to find similarities and differences between objectives in our standards.
We talk about the math.

But yet, I have students that are not grasping these concepts.
Despite the emphasis on thinking to understand.

How do I hook these students?
How do I reach them?

Does it go back to direct teaching?
To drill and kill?
To the way we used to do things?

Or is it a combination of both?
Ramping up the rigor in the classroom,
But allowing for practice outside my four walls?

The next conundrum comes in the question of homework.
Homework does not always get focused on...finished...ready for the next day.
Starting a snowball effect of zeroes and poor grades.

So the question remains.
What is the best way to reach all students?
To help them learn?
To help them see and get the math?
To feel successful.