Book Recommendations from the SchoolWorks Team
Teaching and Instruction
This book introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators, who, for the first time, are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character.
This teaching guide provides ideas for everything from boosting academic rigor, to improving classroom management, and inspiring student engagement.
Driven by Data 2.0 by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo
Rooted in a proven framework that has been implemented in thousands of schools, this practical guide presents insights into what makes schools successful, along with tools to put the framework into place to make data work for your school.
Teaching and Instruction in the Virtual Setting
Teaching in the Online Classroom by Doug Lemov
Although the transition to online education is happening more abruptly than anyone anticipated, technology-supported teaching is here to stay. This guide explores the challenges involved in online teaching and guides educators and administrators to identify and understand best practices. It is a valuable tool to help teachers and students succeed in synchronous and asynchronous settings.
Leadership
David Epstein examined the world’s most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields—especially those that are complex and unpredictable—generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They’re also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can’t see.
Rooted in the observation and training of over 20,000 school leaders worldwide, Leverage Leadership 2.0 offers a practical, updated and easier-to-use follow-up to the original, with field-tested techniques and actionable advice. As educational leaders around the world implement Leverage Leadership ideas, their collective stories have revealed a simple framework by which the seven levers may be implemented: See It, Name It, Do It.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Over the past few years, we have worked to make SchoolWorks a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. (You can read more about our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement here.) Along the way we have utilized a number of books to help grow our collective understanding of DEI. While there are many ways to engage in this work, we found starting in the following two areas to be particularly helpful.
Bias, Power, and Privilege
Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving
For twenty-five years, Debby Irving sensed inexplicable racial tensions in her personal and professional relationships. As a teacher, she found her best efforts to reach out to students and families of color left her wondering what she was missing. Then, in 2009, one “aha!” moment launched an adventure of discovery and insight that drastically shifted her worldview and upended her life plan.
Overcoming Bias: Building Authentic Relationships Across Differences by Tiffany Jana and Matthew Freeman
Tiffany Jana and Matthew Freeman use vivid stories and fun (yes, fun!) exercises and activities to help us reflect on our personal experiences and uncover how our hidden biases are formed.
Segregation and Racism Within Societal and Education Systems
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide
Carefully linking historical flashpoints when social progress for African Americans was countered by deliberate and cleverly crafted opposition, Anderson pulls back the veil that has long covered actions made in the name of protecting democracy, fiscal responsibility, or protection against fraud, rendering visible a lineage of white rage.
Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism and You by Jason Reynolds
Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative written by beloved award-winner Jason Reynolds, this book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas–and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.