This article features Boston superintendent Tom Payzant. In a national landscape dotted with dysfunctional urban systems and short-lived superintendents, Payzant stands out. With over a decade at the helm, Payzant is arguably the best big-city school leader in the nation and Boston the most improved urban district. The success side of the Payzant story is known to many. Academic progress in Boston increased steadily under his leadership, with Boston's 4th and 8th graders handing the 65-year-old Boston native a nice farewell gift by coming out on top in math improvement on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2005 assessments among ten participating urban districts. Boston public school students are also among the top in making the most overall progress over the past two years, outperforming students in Atlanta, Cleveland, and Chicago. Payzant himself has won numerous awards, including state and national superintendent of the year. He was recently named one of "Governing" magazine's public officials of the year--the only school official to be so recognized. He has been praised for his intelligence and his doggedness, traits that many believe are key to understanding his success over almost 40 years as an educator.(Contains 2 figures.)