Working in tandem with the powerful National Education Association's KEYS initiative (Keys to Excellence in Your Schools), this second edition focuses on how to change a school's organizational structure and culture to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Each chapter, revised and updated to address continuous improvement and narrowing the achievement gap, provides a wealth of knowledge from leading experts in the field including Patricia A. Alexander, Eva L. Baker, James A. Banks, Peter Cookson, Lorna M. Earl, Richard F. Elmore, Michael Fullan, Geneva Gay, Willis D. Hawley, Jacqueline Jordan Irvine, Kenneth Leithwood, Ann Lieberman, Judith Warren Little, Lynne Miller, P. Karen Murphy, Fred M. Newmann, Sonia Nieto, Janet Ward Schofield, Walter G. Stephan, Gary Sykes, and Linda Valli. Educators at all levels, policymakers, and parents will discover how to apply the lessons learned from research. This essential handbook provides new chapters, including exemplary practice on teaching and learning for a multicultural society and on continuous school improvement. After the Introduction to the Second Edition, by Reg Weaver and Preface entitled The Problem of Continuous School Improvement, by Donald L. Rollie, this book contains twelve chapters: (1) Educational Reform as Continuous Improvement (Michael Fullan); (2) Contextualizing Learner-Centered Principles for Teachers and Teaching (P. Karen Murphy and Patricia A. Alexander); (3) Improving Achievement for All Students: The Meaning of Staff Shared Understanding and Commitment (Fred M. Newmann); (4) Professional Communication and Collaboration (Judith Warren Little); (5) Teacher Use of Formal Assessment in the Classroom (Eva L. Baker); (6) Assessment as Learning (Lorna M. Earl); (7) Transforming Professional Development: Understanding and Organizing Learning Communities (Ann Lieberman and Lynne Miller); (8) Design Principles for Learner-Centered Professional Development (Willis D. Hawley and Linda Valli); (9) Organizational Conditions That Enhance Teaching and Learning (Kenneth Leithwood); (10) Continuous School Improvement (Willis D. Hawley and Gary Sykes); (11) Essential Principles for Teaching and Learning for a Multicultural Society (James A. Banks, Peter Cookson, Geneva Gay, Willis D. Hawley, Jacqueline Jordan Irvine, Sonia Nieto, Janet Ward Schofield, and Walter G. Stephan); and (12) Local School Districts and Instructional Improvement (Richard F. Elmore). This book concludes with the following: About the Editors, (James A. Banks, Peter Cookson, Geneva Gay, Willis D. Hawley, Jacqueline Jordan Irvine, Sonia Nieto, Janet Ward Schofield, and Walter G. Stephan); About the Contributors, (Richard F. Elmore); and an Index.