Afterword

If you have ever traveled to Florence, Italy, surely you would have visited the Duomo, the extraordinary Renaissance cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Perhaps you may have even climbed up to the level of Filippo Brunelleschi’s crowning achievement: one of the largest domes in the world. Maybe your curiosity might have been sparked to wonder how this feat was accomplished without modern machinery Historians, engineers, and master bricklayers are equally puzzled and amazed. There is no set of blueprints that explains how the dome was built. But there it is; it exists.

This book is such a “blueprint.” How did it happen that a group of teachers collaborated to design a program that continues to produce successful students for more than twenty years? How was their vision so clear that their program still exists even though every one of the original teachers has retired and that every teacher hired to replace them carries on their work?

Ordinary people working collaboratively can do extraordinary things. Isn’t that the very definition of excellence?

If you and your colleagues think you would like to apply this “blueprint” in your school and to your content area, whether it is science, English Language Arts, whatever, we are ready to share our experience with you. To help you get started, go to www.abready.com where you will find free resources to help you design a curriculum for student success.