In Permission to Feel, we learn that some of the most important aspects of learning - attention, focus, and memory - are all controlled by our emotions, not by cognition. Marc Brackett helps us understand what emotions are, how to label them, and the information emotions communicate, potentially transforming how administrators and teachers lead and how students learn.

David Geurin’s Future Driven reads like he's been paying close attention to the education reform movement for the past decade, written down what he's learned on scraps of paper, and then compiled them into a book.

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.”

George Couros’, The Innovator’s Mindset convincingly makes the case that schools should exist to empower students to be innovative leaders, creators, problem finders, and problem solvers. He creatively introduces a blueprint for how schools can do this by introducing two different approaches focused on making meaningful connections by building trust and taking risks.

Dare to Lead reads as though you are sitting down with Brene Brown for a gut check over a really strong cup of coffee (hold the artificial sweetener). Through her unapologetic tone, she lights a spark in that one corner of your heart, better yet, your soul that makes you sit straight up in your bed, grab your remote as though it’s a microphone, and say to yourself - “I can do this”.

The solid takeaways here (e.g., about 1 in 6 internet searches are new, more American families have Amazon Prime than own a gun, etc.) help us wonder how consumerism and technology will impact the world of learning. If you want to read about educational prototypes- go elsewhere. If you want to learn about the modern economy and then try to make connections to the future of education, there may not be a better book.

Uberland is a great read for anyone interested in how data/algorithms are being used to change the world we live in. It is also fun to extrapolate what algorithms could mean for more efficient leading and reporting out on learning.

If you do dive into this book, be prepared for Simon Sinek to walk you through many examples of organizations in which Why was the main driver and served as the tipping point for success (e.g., Southwest Airlines, Harley-Davidson, Apple). A great example of this phenomenon is Costco, who is so grounded in Why that they have a zero dollar budget for advertising and don’t have a single person devoted to public relations.

In Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em, Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans walk the reader through the process of appreciating, learning from, and retaining top employees. Employers who are more interested in retaining quality rather than retraining quantity are sure to find a handful of nuggets to get them thinking about continuously “re-recruiting” their best people.

Andrew Hacker presents The Math Myth as America’s antidote to the global hysteria surrounding rigor and achievement at all levels of math study. He argues, quite convincingly, that the intensity in content level and pressure to understand is disconnected from what is needed for success in the real world.

In The Model Thinker, Scott E. Page takes the reader through the whys and hows of model thinking followed by dozens of models to help us understand the world. However, in the final analysis, this book is lacking in models that are directly impactful for educators, but knowing there are models out there that drive policy will cause all of us to make decisions using logic and data via the models we find adjacently relatable.

If you are a model thinking junkie, Quiet Leadership by David Rock will whet your whistle and then some, as it’s full of complex and interwoven models. If you prefer fewer diagrams and acronyms, Rock will still push your thinking to make sure your conversations are leading others to think for themselves.

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.