Have you ever wanted an economist to break down the traditional perceptions of the value of an education? Well if so… you are in luck! Bryan Caplan does just that in The Case Against Education. Statistical analysis of the human capital vs. signaling theories is done with his theory that education is primarily about “signaling” to the world that someone is suitable for the workplace.

In What If I Say The Wrong Thing, Verna Myers helps individuals and leaders understand the structures, policies, and cultures that organizations may have in place that hinder achieving equity, diversity, and inclusion. With examples from her personal life and professional career Myers provides readers with useful suggestions for how one can become a more culturally responsible individual and how leaders can transform organizations.

Daniel Pink’s When showcases extensive research and enlightening case studies to explain how and why timing is so important to human flourishing and productivity. Simple tweaks of school schedules would boost test scores, lower depression, increase student cognition, and even improve decision-making among faculty and administration. For this reason and many others, all educators would all benefit from a deeper exploration of this enjoyable read.

If you have respect for both those who serve in the military and sound business practices, then Extreme Ownership is the book for you. Want war stories? Check. Want to live in the intersection between military tactics/strategies and leading a school? Check. Looking to step up your leadership game by taking responsibility for everything that happens in your school? Triple check!

If Simon Sinek, Carol Dweck, and Brene Brown participated in a weekend book writing blitz, they may well have produced this book. A variety of themes filtered through the lens of business (particularly Whole Foods) gives us an intentional path to Conscious Leadership.

Are you leading a school and know that data should be a more integral part of the decision-making process? If so, Got Data? Now What? may just scratch that itch. You will be warned of the pitfalls, walked through the protocols, and told step-by-step what to do to maximize your time and energy while turning data into decisions.

This book is a must read for any school in the midst of change as there are anecdotes and guidelines that are sure to be useful. An example of the kind of advice doled out is Kotter’s rule of thumb for vision explanation: “If you can’t describe the vision for a change initiative in five minutes or less and get a reaction of understanding and interest, you aren’t going to be successful.”

In The Tyranny of Metrics, Jerry Muller warns all leaders to be wary of overemphasizing data to make decisions/set policy. He provides examples from medicine, the military, education, and philanthropy to drive home the message that we often misuse data in a way that derails the mission of organizations.