"Schools cannot teach character . . . School have to create an environment that models and promotes character development, and then they have to allow the children to ′catch′ character from the behavior of the adults and students around them." —From Chapter 1 by James P. Comer Let today′s educational leaders show you how to create a safe, healthy, and successful classroom community! Combining emotional intelligence (EQ) with academic intelligence (IQ) is the essential key to developing knowledgeable, caring, healthy, and successful students in today′s troubled world. Social-emotional skills often are not taught at home, but they are in fact the crucial connection that enables students to master and retain content knowledge while also creating a classroom atmosphere filled with proficient, civic-minded students with sound judgment and problem-solving skills that will last a lifetime. In this dynamic book, today′s educational leaders offer their best ideas for building school communities that are safe, smart, caring, successful, and emotionally intelligent. Key topics include: Transforming the Lives of Children (James P. Comer) Leadership for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (Mary Utne O′Brien, Roger P. Weissberg, Timothy P. Shriver) How New Knowledge About the Brain Applies to Social and Emotional Learning (Ronald S. Brandt) A Vision of Schools with Heart and Spirit (Linda Lantieri) Institutionalizing Programming for Social and Emotional Learning (Linda Bruene Butler, Jeffrey S. Kress, Jacqueline A. Norris) Implementing a Social and Emotional Learning Program (Carol Apacki)