A School Leader's Guide to Excellence, Updated Edition: Collaborating Our Way to Better Schools

“The first priority for school leaders is to understand that problems cannot define a vision nor become its end point. Instead, they are opportunities to include stakeholders in formulating the vision.” ― Carmen Fariña and Laura Kotch

This updated edition of A School Leader’s Guide to Excellence models exactly how current Chancellor of New York City Public Schools, Carmen Fariña, and former Executive Director of Professional Development for the New York City Department of Education, Laura Kotch, transform struggling schools and make good schools great.

Carmen and Laura “believe that conversations and collaboration work better than competition and isolation, and that excellence can be shared and replicated. The building blocks of what works well in one classroom or school can be exported to build consistency and community across classrooms and schools.”

Their plan shows precisely how to envision success and share your plan, collaborate inside your building and outside it to build the momentum for change then focus everyone’s energy toward accomplishing even your highest goals.

Carmen Fariña is the Chancellor of New York City schools. She is coauthor with longtime collaborator Laura Kotch of A School Leader’s Guide to Excellence, Updated Edition. Carmen and Laura have in-depth experience helping all schools make the changes they need to achieve excellence. As professional partners they have held numerous roles in the New York City public schools. In addition to her Chancellorship, Carmen was the Deputy Chancellor for Teaching and Learning of the New York City Department of Education, while Laura was its Executive Director of Professional Development and Curriculum. Their vast experiences also include tenures as Superintendent and Deputy of District 15 (a thirty-two-school district) and Region 8 (154 schools), Principal and Staff Developer, college instructors, teacher leaders, and classroom teachers. Currently they work with principals to create structures that improve schoolwide teaching and learning.

Laura Kotch is the coauthor, with her longtime collaborator Carmen Fariña, of A School Leader’s Guide to Excellence, Updated Edition. They have in-depth experience with helping all schools make the changes they need to achieve excellence. As professional partners they have held numerous roles in the New York City public schools. Laura was most recently its Executive Director of Professional Development and Curriculum, while Carmen is its current Chancellor. Their vast experiences also include tenures as Superintendent and Deputy of District 15 (a thirty-two-school district) and Region 8 (154 schools), Principal and Staff Developer, college instructors, teacher leaders, and classroom teachers. Currently they work with principals to create structures that improve schoolwide teaching and learning.