Every school is confronted with many concerns about improving students' achievement and well-being and enhancing school climate. While the emphasis shifts, there is constant pressure to do more about learning problems; bullying, harassment, and other forms of violence and acting out behavior at school; substance abuse; disconnected students; nonattendance; dropouts; teen pregnancy; suicide prevention; and on and on. Clearly, schools and districts that have many students who manifest problems such as these are especially challenged when it comes to increasing achievement test score averages. Prevailing efforts to address such problems are not well conceived in school improvement policy and practice. Based on previous Center policy and practice analyses, this brief report provides a synthesis of (1) some key challenges for school improvement related to addressing barriers to learning and teaching and (2) implications for improving how schools deal with such challenges. Also included are (a) references to the Center analyses from which this synthesis was derived and (b) guides for leadership development.