Citing wisdom from top educational experts and building on what is already working, award-winning author Alan M. Blankstein offers tools for finding excellence in schools, scaling these practices across learning communities, and transforming low-performing schools into high-performing schools. His five-step process includes:

- Identifying and assessing excellence

- Creating an action plan

- Assigning resources such as time, materials, etc.

- Transferring excellence in the form of knowledge and skills throughout the school and district

- Sustaining the excellence

Also included are effective strategies for sustaining student gains, closing gaps within and between schools, building leader capacity, and increasing community commitment.