As the pressure on educators increases and teachers and administrators become more exhausted, we have no time to spare. Therefore, I have written this book to prompt immediate shifts in what you think, do, and believe. Each chapter title begins with a verb, because I want readers to learn steps that they can take immediately, from the very first chapter. Beyond action, though, I want to help you understand why particular actions make sense. Therefore, I’ll support suggested actions with examples and bits of theory and research. For those who want to read more about any particular idea, I have provided a narrative bibliography at the back of the book. In this way, each chapter is highly approachable and quick to read, without many citations to disrupt the text, yet the bibliography discusses further resources for those who want to learn more.

Throughout, I’ll provide stories to serve as examples and to promote quicker learning on the part of the reader. These stories are based in the real-life experiences of educators, including myself, but the “facts” of each situation are changed to adequately honor confidentiality. Thus, you can trust that the stories are based in reality but do not betray any one situation. T

he book has charts, sidebars, and lists to make key ideas more visible and to provide helpful examples. It also has a FAQ—Frequently Asked Questions—section at the end, to provide practical answers to questions that readers may raise, and a narrative bibliography to provide additional resources on ideas mentioned but not central to the main part of the text.

This book will enable you to:

• Lead learning in your school, district, or classroom.
• Do what you intended to do when you set out to be an educator.
• Ensure that the children in your trust are benefitting from all that an education can offer.