Welcome to the challenge of building schools in which students, teachers, and principals are actively engaged in learning! Can America's public schools meet the many challenges they face today? Not by simply working harder at what we're doing now. Based on faulty assumptions, most of the current reform ideas focus on process concerns -- such as standards, curriculum, and testing. If we test those assumptions, we find that educational excellence relies more on the talent and engagement levels of people within a school than on any other factor. Identifying and leveraging the underutilized talent of students, teachers, support staff, and principals should be the first consideration in improving outcomes for students. This Web site is dedicated to helping you explore the current assumptions about America's educational system and build alternative approaches that meet the demands of global competition. Regardless of your role, you are interested in improving America's schools. Our goal is to provide you with resources to stimulate thinking and discussion with friends, colleagues, and community members. You will find a summary of the assumptions we must challenge in the section titled "The Book," and a discussion guide, articles, and exercises are located in the "Resources" section and the individual sections for parents, teachers, principals, and district leaders. ... Publisher description.