Beverly Hall has been superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools since 1999. Before coming to Atlanta, Hall was state district superintendent of Newark Public Schools, deputy chancellor for instruction of New York City Public Schools, superintendent of Community School District 27 in New York City, and a principal in Brooklyn. Hall chairs Harvard University's Urban Superintendents Program Advisory Board, mentoring doctoral candidates. She is a member of the board of trustees of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Smart government Advisory Board of the Center for American progress. In this interview, Hall discusses her effort to change the central office in Atlanta to a service-driven operating unit that empowers the principals and the schools. She also shares her strategies for improving student learning and teacher performance.