Drawing on his personal experience as a modern day school administrator, John M. Brucato believes that there is a pathway to survival, success, and enjoyment in the role of a school leader that keeps the focus on meeting the needs of young people, while nurturing relationship with all stakeholders responsible for bringing this to fruition. "Creating a Learning Environment" addresses the need to: (1) Assess the culture that defines a school's environment; (2) Reflect on the variables which can improve/degrade the culture; and (3) Determine what practices to employ in order to make necessary improvement. By using the practical examples related to the everyday dynamics of school business, educational leaders working in large or small schools can collectively identify with the situations, scenarios, and processes described. This book should be of interest to all educators who assume or aspire to leadership roles and administrative positions. Following a foreword by Phillip F. Flaherty; preface; and an introduction, the book is divided into three parts. Part I, The Problem, presents the first chapter of the book: (1) Assessing School Culture: Putting the Horse before the Cart. Part II, Beginnings, presents the next chapters: (2) The Six Key Questions to Assessing School Culture; (3) Why We Need to Read, Write, and Reflect: The Journal; (4) Climate-Focused Leaders: The Profile; (5) The Guiding Principles of Success; (6) Building an Administrative Team: The Foundation of a Well-Run School; and (7) Climate Control: All Educators on Board. Part III, New Beginnings, includes chapters: (8) Swinging the Balance; (9) Clarity of Expectations; (10) The Faculty Manual; (11) Growth and Excellence Are Not Optional; (12) Teacher Appreciation; (13) The Student Body: The Driving Force of School Reform; and (14) How to Develop a Support Staff that Becomes the Glue that Holds Your School Together. Appended are: (1) How to Develop a School Culture that Reduces Discipline Problems and Enhances Safety; (2) How to Deal More Effectively with Difficult Parents; (3) How to Deal with difficult Teachers; (4) How to Achieve Success with the Next Level of Student Discipline; (5) Developing an Administrator-Friendly Student/Parent Handbook; (6) Seven Reasons Why School Administrators Cannot Turn Their Backs on Issues of Nonschool Conduct; and (7) You Make the Call. A list of references and a section about the author are also included.