`Particularly interesting is the section on "Making It Happen in Your School", in which the editors make a powerful case for specifically addressing emotional learning as a skill area. They tell of the Massachusetts school superintendent who found that "parents and community members were at least as interested in having children living in the community who were kind, caring, and non-violent as they were in having kids who were smart". Every UK headteacher will nod agreement. There's enormous interest in emotional intelligence and brain-friendly learning, and this book is an excellent contribution to the debate' - Gerald Haigh, Times Educational Supplement

`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

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. In some situations, however, these skills are not being taught at home, and the crucial connection that enables students to retain what they learn for life, while creating a classroom atmosphere filled with proficient, civic-minded students of sound judgment is never fully developed.

In this dynamic new book, today's educational leaders offer their best ideas for building school communities that are safe, smart, caring, successful, and emotionally intelligent.

Some key topics discussed 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)