A School Leader’s Guide to Excellence: Collaborating Our Way to Better Schools

The first priority for school leaders is to understand that problems cannot define a vision nor become its end point. Instead, they are opportunities to include stakeholders in formulating the vision. - Carmen Farina and Laura Kotch

This updated edition of A School Leader’s Guide to Excellence models exactly how current Chancellor of New York City Public Schools, Carmen Farina, and former Executive Director of Professional Development for the New York City Department of Education, Laura Kotch, transform struggling schools and make good schools great.

Carmen and Laura believe that conversations and collaboration work better than competition and isolation, and that excellence can be shared and replicated. The building blocks of what works well in one classroom or school can be exported to build consistency and community across classrooms and schools.

Their plan shows precisely how to envision success and share your plan, collaborate inside your building and outside it to build the momentum for change then focus everyone’s energy toward accomplishing even your highest goals.