Education is not just a matter for the politicians and professionals; it is a matter for all of us. For we are the public in public education. When we work together, we can do it...we can reach and teach these children.

Meet John Stanford, the successfully unorthodox superintendent of Seattle public schools and former U.S. Army major general, whose gutsy, no-nonsense educational reforms and inspirational leadership have sparked a revolution in public education. Under his visionary guidance, test scores are improving, violence has declined to a ten-year low, student/teacher morale...

On May 16, 2002, Phil and Susan Ershler reached the top of Mt. Everest and became the first couple in history to scale the fabled Seven Summits. What made their achievement all the more remarkable was that Susan was not a mountain climber, but a high-powered Fortune (r) 500 executive who had never hiked or climbed until she met Phil at the age of 36. Phil, a professional mountain guide who was the first American to summit Everest from its treacherous north face, had climbed his whole life with Crohn's disease, a chronic, debilitating illness. Adding to these challenges, just before their...