WHAT IS A SCHOOL? A Philosophical and Practical Guide for Independent School Leaders, Trustees, and Friends is essential reading for school leaders and those concerned with the governance and management of independent schools. WHAT IS A SCHOOL? takes a hard look at "first principles": What should schools be, and what are the fundamental values and beliefs that brought such schools into being and can sustain them into the future? In a series of "meditations," author Peter Gow, a veteran independent school educator and author, explores every aspect of school operation from curriculum to classroom design to regulatory compliance from the lofty perspective of missions and values.