INTRODUCTORY LETTER “We can develop leaders, and we know how to do it.”      Unfortunately, most people don’t seem to agree that leadership is developed. Our nation’s business leaders do, but many of the persons who make decisions about the future of our states and our education systems don’t seem to agree, judged by the actions they take.      “Leadership is not something that happens at conception, but it is developed and can be taught. Today we know more about how to prepare persons to lead organizations, including schools, than ever before.” So said Alton Crews, a veteran educator with more than 30 years’ experience as a superintendent and director of the SREB Leadership Academy.      Alton Crews understood that educators need the kind of professional development accepted in the corporate world. They need exposure to instructional approaches that will help all children learn. They need a forum to brainstorm coordinated solutions to complex problems like low reading levels and high dropout rates. They need to learn their personal leadership styles and how they can be more effective.      This report presents the SREB model for leadership development, a product of years of pilot-testing and refining the best strategies for helping educators become good leaders. As the SREB states transfer more responsibility for education decisions to local schools and school systems, effective leadership at the local level becomes essential. States will make a big mistake if they shift authority to schools without building in ways to develop leadership capacity in those schools. We hope that this report and the SREB Leadership Academy can develop this leadership. Mark D. Musick, President Southern Regional Educational Board Next—Foreword