The answers to many of the problems facing schools today "are in the minds of the teachers. Half our solutions are in their minds but they have to come out through open dialogue," says Gary Kruse, principal of Evans Middle School in Ottumwa, Iowa. When faced with leading a middle school that had a history of low reading scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), Mr. Kruse turned to the people who knew the students and the school climate best--the teachers...