As the author reflects on CES and its groundbreaking, significant work over the past 25 years, he is regularly reminded of the importance of the core guiding principles, even as the educational landscape changes. In his 10 short years of teaching, he has witnessed many transformations, alterations, and modifications in education. He has been privileged to be a part of some great changes, such as the development of the Small Schools Office in Chicago, an office serving the small schools initiative in Chicago Public Schools that assists the creation and support of small school communities within Chicago by providing a variety of resources as well as research to understand the value of small schools. He has also endured change that has been detrimental to young people. When he started at Young Women's Leadership Charter School (YWLCS) in 2001, No Child Left Behind was enacted. As a result, he witnessed a significant switch from authentic learning and personalized education to the external pressures of standards and high stakes testing. The author contends that change is necessary to meet the needs of young people and their current realities and that amidst the necessary change and progress--and the developing needs of students--that the principles are the foundation that one needs to consistently draw from to keep the focus on creating authentic and equitable school communities.