Superintendent Pamela Nathan models her New Jersey district after organizations that are driven to innovate by evolving markets and other forces.

Leaders are pushing back against rhetoric, building sidewalks, ensuring education is still venerated and making teachers feel valued.

At this school, students eagerly show up at 7 a.m. on Fridays to meet with the principal to discuss top-of-mind issues. Here's how you can build a student body with similar leadership aspirations.