Building a Schoolhouse: Laying the Foundation for Success explores practices that lie at the heart of excellent schools. This user-friendly guide presents foundational principles necessary for success in schools and in classrooms. Building a Schoolhouse is about people -- students, teachers, parents, and principals -- and their interactions. This book will assist educators and parents in creating and enhancing schools that are known for their student-centered focus, excellence in teaching, shared leadership, and emphasis on individual growth and mutual respect.Schools where trust exists are centers of possibility and growth because students and teachers are willing to take risks in their learning and teaching.The skill and depth of a leader are measured in the small ordinary encounters and events that crowd each school day, as well as in the high-level, serious decisions and complex interactions that occur when working in such a person-rich environment.Students love to learn and teachers love to teach in schools where everyone is empowered to play a significant role in the life of the school.The pressures for accountability are great; the expectations high; the outcomes life changing.

Optimists are our leaders, our role models and our most effective teachers because they see the inherent good and the giftedness of their students and colleagues.