A Teacher's Lessons for Business Leaders

Ron Clark used to be an elementary school teacher in North Carolina -- but after watching a program about a New York City school that had a hard time attracting qualified teachers, he decided to head to New York with the goal of teaching in one of its toughest schools. Clark eventually landed a job doing just that -- in Harlem. He asked if he could teach a class of fifth-graders who had been performing at a second-grade level. The school's administrators wanted to give him the gifted class, but Clark insisted on the underperforming students. In one school year, Clark's fifth-grade class outperformed the gifted class. Clark became Disney's teacher of the year, a best-selling author, and an Oprah guest. This Business Week article shares Clark's thoughts on how managers can use his techniques to motivate their own teams.

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