Walking into a new school with a recently earned certificate in one hand and a key to the office in the other is an unsettling feeling. Principals in this position--who often wonder who will help them along the way--need support from an effective principal or administrator. Though corporate leaders often use the phrase "reach behind you and…

The authors examine how a public school culture that has resisted a number of promising reform initiatives could be transformed by a Millennium School model based on four basic principles: a multi-tiered career path for teachers; teaching in teams; performance-based accountability; and ongoing professional development.

Notes the increasing availability of prekindergarten programs for four-year-olds and describes a program that groups four- and five-year-olds together. Covers the program's instructional goals; reasons for using multi-aged grouping, cooperative teaching, and structured planning time; curriculum; interaction with parents; and dependence on the…