Includes bibliographical references.

Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Preface -- PART ONE: What would happen if we trusted teachers with school success? -- Introduction. To get high performing schools, maybe it's time to trust teachers. -- Chapter 2. Teacher Autonomy: what it is, who has it, and how it's secured -- Chapter 3. When granted autonomy, teachers choose to operate in ways that emulate the cultural characteristics of high-performing organizations. -- PART TWO: Eight practices autonomous teachers embrace which are indicative of the cultural characteristics of high-performing organizations -- Chapter 4. Practice #1: Share purpose, which always focuses on students as individuals, and use it as the basis of decisions aimed at school improvement -- Chapter 5. Practice #2: Participate in collaboration and leadership for the good of the whole school, not just a classroom. -- Chapter 6. Practice #3: Encourage colleagues and students to be active, ongoing learners in an effort to everyone's engagement and motivation -- Chapter 7. Practice #4: Develop or adopt learning programs that individualize student learning -- Chapter 8. Practice #5: Address social and discipline problems as part of student learning -- Chapter 9. Practice #6: Broaden the definition and scope of student achievement and assessment -- Chapter 10. Practice #7: Encourage teacher improvement using 360-degree, peer- and self-evaluation methods as well as peer coaching and mentoring -- Chapter 11. Practice #8: Make budget trade-offs to meet the needs of students they serve -- PART THREE:Implementation strategies for those who want to support teacher autonomy -- Chapter 12. It's time to trust teachers. -- Appendixes -- Notes -- Bibliography -- About the Authors.