Committing to the whole student is how K12 schools can and will remain the key to democracy in America, Superintendent Trent North says. "When our students graduate, they must not only be academically sound, but we must ensure they are socially and emotionally ready to leave their impact on the world."

This toolkit of well-tested talent management practices and innovative ideas will guide leaders in creating collaboration time, conducting empathy interviews and developing grow-your-own programs, among other solutions.

3 leaders are taking bottom-up approaches to chronic attendance problems, literacy achievement gaps and teacher shortages.

"Transformation in education is happening, which is almost a counter-narrative to what we hear," says Amy Dujon, director of the District Administration Leadership Institute and co-author of a new report, "Exploring New Frontiers For K-12 Systems Transformation."