School leaders face many challenges in today's education environment. As educational leadership is just coming to grips with the accountability components of No Child Left Behind, our new administration promises to create even more requirements for public schools.

The school year has officially begun across Arizona and the rest of the country. Discussion topics have shifted from vacations and summer camp to homework, school leadership and new teachers. Parents (and most likely your school administrator) have suddenly found new enthusiasm for carefully comparing notes on everything from math curriculum to testing policies. Parents agonize at length about whether their child's teacher is the best match to the needs of their children. No detail regarding the school, teacher or curriculum is left unanalyzed.