10 signs of goodness. (District plus: tips and ideas for successful district leadership).

Schools need to be safe, stress character, give homework and hire fine teachers. In his speech to 20 top school superintendents this past fall, former U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett spelled out "10 signs of a good school." Using quotes from the country's Founding Fathers and present-day administrators who are making positive changes, Bennett explained the signs:

1. Safe and orderly environment. Bennett said student surveys showed that the top pet-peeve was "disruptive students who interfered."

2. Clear academic mission.

3. Attention to character, or holding students responsible and being around people who are responsible or who try to be so.

4. Fine teachers.

5. Strong leadership. Principal Amy Weiss Narea of The La Salle Language Academy in Chicago brought in parents and "embraced them and got, therefore, more teachers per child. She turned the school around," Bennett said.

6. High expectations.

7. Homework. "Time on task makes a big difference," Bennett said.

8. Evaluation and feedback. "We test too much, but we don't test well enough," he said. "And so the whole point about evaluation and feedback has to be borne in mind at the federal level as well as the local level."

9. Parental involvement.

10. A sense of community.