This book demonstrates through case studies and expert analyses the impressive educational gains children can make when the best educational research, policy, and practice are aligned. This volume is a valuable resource to aspiring leaders, educational researchers, and current practitioners and a must-read for anyone who cares about the public education system. This book contains: (1) The Urban Superintendents Program Leadership Framework (Larry Leverett); (2) A Superintendent's Entry (Leslie Boozer); (3) Communicating the Vision, which includes: Breathing Life into Your Vision (Holly Weeks); Meria Joel Carstarphen, St. Paul Public Schools: Where Imagination Meets Destination (Leslie Boozer and Laura Kelley); Communicating to Change the Culture (Brian G. Osborne); (4) Strategic Planning, which includes: Planning to Succeed: Strategic Approaches for Every Superintendent (Janice Jackson); Maria Goodloe-Johnson, Seattle Public Schools: The Strategy Behind the Plan (Leslie Boozer and Laura Kelley); The Best Laid Plans... (Maree Sneed); (5) Instructional Improvement, which includes: Leading Learning in Urban Schools (Richard F. Elmore); Deborah Jewell-Sherman, Richmond Public Schools: Getting to the Heart of the Work (Kristy Cooper, Laura Kelley, Leslie Boozer, and Aaliyah El-Amin); Building New Structures and Options for Success (Rudy F. Crew); (6) School Boards and Unions, which includes: Moving Ahead with School Boards and Teachers Unions (Susan Moore Johnson); Andr'es Alonso, Baltimore City Public Schools: The Superintendent and Board Partnership (Laura Kelley and Leslie Boozer); Pragmatic Radicalism: The Superintendent as Catalyst, Capacity Builder, and Concertmaster (Joshua P. Starr); (7) Realigning Resources, which includes: Strategic Resource Allocation: The Superintendent's Perspective (James P. Honan); Arlene Ackerman, School District of Philadelphia: The Quest for Educational Equity (Leslie Boozer and Laura Kelley); The Equity Fight in Utica, Michigan (Christine M. Johns); (8) Community Engagement, which includes: Why Family and Community Partnerships Are Important to District Reform (Karen L. Mapp); Beverly Hall, Atlanta Public Schools: From the Living Room to the Boardroom (Laura Kelley, Leslie Boozer, and Drew Echelson); Hit the Ground Listening (Carol Johnson and Michele Brooks); (9) Scaling Up, which includes: Scaling Up: The Key to School Improvement (Robert S. Peterkin); Rudy Crew, New York City Public Schools: Instilling Success in Every School (Laura Kelley and Leslie Boozer); Scaling Up Connections (Amalia Cudeiro); (10) Sustaining Improvement over Time, which includes: Replicating the "Long Beach Way" (Carl A. Cohn); Chris Steinhauser, Long Beach Unified School District: Eluding the Allure of Quick Fixes (Leslie Boozer and Laura Kelley); Building and Sustaining Improvement over Time: The Austin Story (Pascal D. Forgione Jr.); and (11) Exiting the Superintendency (Laura Kelley). An epilogue, "Demography Is Not Destiny!" by Deborah Jewell-Sherman, and an index are included.