This report offers an inside look into the world of the nation's best and brightest education leaders, its school superintendents. What makes these superintendents stand apart, however, is their sheer dedication to and success in finding new ways to teach, new approaches to communicate and listen to their communities, and new strategies to ensure that every child in their districts succeeds. Nearly 25 superintendents from rural, urban, and suburban school districts attended the 2006 National Superintendent of the Year Forum in Denver, Colorado, organized by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) to discuss with their colleagues about leadership's impact on student achievement, public schools and the global economy, and about innovative and entrepreneurial approaches to public education. They spoke with candor and humor about how they are successfully overcoming the daily challenges of what many have come to recognize as one of the toughest jobs today. They shared strategies for setting student performance targets with staff, school board members and the community--from community-wide public engagement initiatives to intensive strategic planning sessions with district leaders and school board members. They shared their observations about the role they play as leaders in advocating for new ways of teaching, making learning more engaging, and helping policymakers and parents understand what public education must do to better address global competitiveness. Key to all of this work is building on a student's assets rather than a student's weaknesses. They also discussed how their role has changed from that of management to one where their leadership requires a keen understanding of teaching, learning, and what works for students. A panel of finalists for National Superintendent of the Year led a conversation with their peers about how today's superintendents view their role in instruction. Superintendents of the year discussed their growing entrepreneurial roles in increasing revenue streams for instruction, learning, and other budgetary costs. The report includes a list of the superintendents who were selected as the 2006 state superintendents of the year. [ARAMARK Education funded both the National Superintendent of the Year Program and this publication.]