The research presented in this monograph speaks to the heart of education in the 21st century in the quest for closing the achievement gap in the public school systems. Presented, is theory and practice of instructional leadership for better school environments. Better school environments are created when teachers as leaders engage in furthering human needs, goals, and opportunities for all students including those at risk of academic failure. When you want to know who leaders are in a school, you look for people who are not in positions of authority, but those having the greatest impact on...