ABSTRACT
School leaders had the know-how and the passion to leverage powerful relationships to accelerate teaching and learning. Relationship building was a well-calculated component of their teaching and learning plans. Implementing a capacity building formula begins at the top. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) advances the significance of relationship building for greater student performance and for enhanced teacher development. Relationship building helps the school increase capacity to provide the comprehensive and differentiated support needed by students. Tomlinson and Imbeau claim that differentiation involves continuous thinking and reflecting about how to vary learning within high-quality classrooms. Connecting local curriculum to students' interests and aspirations powers up learning. Digital environments ratchet up students' interest levels and help match content to student learning preferences. Differentiated learning takes place during all stages of instructional routines. Teachers have multiple windows during explicit teaching, guided practice, and individual study to vary learning for students.
