Why do I lead? With this deceptively simple question, best-selling author Baruti K. Kafele begins a powerful examination of what it takes to make a school community achieve the greatest success in the classroom and beyond. In The Principal 50: Critical Leadership Questions for Inspiring Schoolwide Excellence, Kafele, a veteran school administrator, guides motivated school leaders through 50 self-reflection exercises designed to yield a deeper understanding of the meaning behind the work that they do. Along with many other insights, this book shows how best to:

• Inspire and motivate students, teachers, and other school staff to approach their work with vigor and purpose.
• Ensure that all students, regardless of color, creed, or origin, are valued and represented in the school culture.
• Focus mission and vision statements to address students' most critical needs and integrate shared values and objectives into the fabric of the school.
• Engage parents and other community members so that they feel a stake in the school's success.

Brimming with passion, written from the heart, and informed by hard-earned experience, this transformative book is essential reading for principals and other building-level administrators determined to reinvigorate their practice, revitalize their staff, and-most importantly-guarantee the strongest outcomes for students.