How can all students be provided with a first-class education with all the obstacles and challenges faced by today's schools? Based on his experiences growing up in the Mississippi Delta during the era of segregation, Clifton Taulbert shares time-honored principles that can transform the lives of the teachers, students, administrators, and staff within the school. Through moving and inspirational stories, Taulbert explains the Eight Habits--nurturing attitude, dependability, responsibility, friendship, brotherhood, high expectations, courage, and hope--and how educators can implement them into their own lives and the life of their school. This reader-friendly guide empowers educators with: (1) Real-life examples of educators successfully implementing the Eight Habits of the Heart; (2) Intentional strategies and application sections to apply each habit in your classroom and school; and (3) Insightful reflective questions and personal assessments. This book is a wonderful resource for principals, teacher leaders, professional developers, and study groups. Following a preface, this guide contains 12 chapters: (1) Building Community... The Foundation for Excellence; (2) Building Community... The Human Touch; (3) Building Community... Life Lessons from the Mississippi Delta; (4) Nurturing Attitude: The First Habit of the Heart; (5) Responsibility: The Second Habit of the Heart; (6) Dependability: The Third Habit of the Heart; (7) Friendship: The Fourth Habit of the Heart; (8) Brotherhood: The Fifth Habit of the Heart; (9) High Expectations: The Sixth Habit of the Heart; (10) Courage: The Seventh Habit of the Heart; (11) Hope: The Eighth Habit of the Heart; and (12) Building Community... Sustaining the Excellence. An index concludes the book.