According to one teacher at Weinland Park Elementary, Principal Rhonda Peeples “holds a passionate vision for the staff, students, and community” she serves. Guided by the belief that staff development is the “thread that sustains building-wide instructional coherence,” Peeples has spent her nine years as principal leading by cultivating leadership in others. For the last four years, she has driven Weinland Park’s academic and cultural improvement as the leader of the school’s Problem Solving Team, which has resourced staff to implement differentiated instruction in math and reading. Her commitment to job-embedded professional development has been recognized by the Ohio Leadership Advisory Council and has had a positive impact on achievement. Two years into her first year as principal of Georgian Heights Elementary, for example, the school earned effective status for the first time in its history. Peeples takes a proactive and holistic approach to addressing the needs of Weinland Parks’ high-poverty population. She developed the school’s Walking School Bus initiative to increase attendance by providing low-income students a safe and supportive route to school, and has spearheaded the use of Thinking Maps to increase student ownership of their learning. Before becoming an administrator, Peeples taught for nine years and was named Distinguished Teacher of the Year by her district in 2005. She holds a B.A. from Wright State University and an M.A. from The Ohio State University.