This book argues that schools are unique places that require their own theories and practices. Chapter 1 examines the theories of leadership and the school practices that are currently taken for granted in school operation. Chapter 2 addresses the question of what kind of theory is appropriate to the schoolhouse. A framework for understanding community and for building community in schools is presented in chapter 3. The fourth chapter examines how schools as communities can speak in a moral voice, and the fifth chapter describes how the roots of school leadership are located in serving the common good. Suggestions for transforming large schools into smaller school communities are set forth in chapter 6. Chapter 7 provides a set of standards for making decisions that integrate school goals and strategies. Chapter 8 discusses teacher development as a key component of long-term school improvement. The ninth chapter proposes an alternative theory of change--the deinstitutionalization of change through the cultivation of professional teacher communities. The final chapter proposes a framework for school leadership, replacing the politics of division with the politics of virtue that emphasize a commitment to the common good. Four tables, three exhibits, and one index are included. (Contains 272 references.) (LMI)