books about education

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Education - january 15, 2017.

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THINKING, FAST AND SLOW

by Daniel Kahneman

Farrar, Straus & Giroux

A winner of the Nobel in economic science discusses how we make choices in business and personal lives and when we can and cannot trust our intuitions.

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by Angela Duckworth

A psychologist says passion and perseverance are the keys to success.

THING EXPLAINER

by Randall Munroe

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Cells, elevators, smartphones, nuclear reactors and more are demystified with simply annotated blueprints. From the author of "What If?"

SPEAKING AMERICAN

by Josh Katz

The creator of the New York Times dialect quiz provides a guide to how words are pronounced in different parts of the country.

I AM MALALA

by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

Little, Brown

The experience of the young Pakistani advocate for women’s education who was shot by the Taliban and later won the Nobel Peace Prize. Originally published in 2013.

by Stephen King

A memoir that is a master class on the writer's craft.

WEAPONS OF MATH DESTRUCTION

by Cathy O'Neil

How decisions that impact our lives are made by algorithms instead of people.

BEST AMERICAN NONREQUIRED READING 2016

edited by Rachel Kushner

Mariner/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

A wide-ranging anthology selected by high school students.

HOW NOT TO BE WRONG

by Jordan Ellenberg

A mathematician shows how his discipline helps us think about problems of politics, medicine and commerce.

OTHER-WORDLY

by Yee-Lum Mak

From the blog of the same name, 64 intriguing words from a dozen languages.

The New York Times Book Review

Maybe erik larson should have left the civil war alone.

In “The Demon of Unrest,” present-day political strife inspires a dramatic portrait of the run-up to the deadliest war on American soil.

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School's out

A critical take on education and schooling

The 50 great books on education

Professor of Education, University of Derby

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I have often argued that I would not let any teacher into a school unless – as a minimum – they had read, carefully and well, the three great books on education: Plato’s Republic, Rousseau’s Émile and Dewey’s Democracy and Education. There would be no instrumental purpose in this, but the struggle to understand these books and the thinking involved in understanding them would change teachers and ultimately teaching.

These are the three great books because each is sociologically whole. They each present a description and arguments for an education for a particular and better society. You do not have to agree with these authors. Plato’s tripartite education for a just society ruled over by philosopher kings; Rousseau’s education through nature to establish the social contract and Dewey’s relevant, problem-solving democratic education for a democratic society can all be criticised. That is not the point. The point is to understand these great works. They constitute the intellectual background to any informed discussion of education.

What of more modern works? I used to recommend the “blistering indictment” of the flight from traditional liberal education that is Melanie Phillips’s All Must Have Prizes, to be read alongside Tom Bentley’s Learning Beyond the Classroom: Education for a Changing World, which is a defence of a wider view of learning for the “learning age”. These two books defined the debate in the 1990s between traditional education by authoritative teachers and its rejection in favour of a new learning in partnership with students.

Much time and money is spent on teacher training and continuing professional development and much of it is wasted. A cheaper and better way of giving student teachers and in-service teachers an understanding of education would be to get them to read the 50 great works on education.

The books I have identified, with the help of members of the Institute of Ideas’ Education Forum, teachers and colleagues at several universities, constitute an attempt at an education “canon”.

What are “out” of my list are textbooks and guides to classroom practice. What are also “out” are novels and plays. But there are some great literary works that should be read by every teacher: Charles Dicken’s Hard Times – for Gradgrind’s now much-needed celebration of facts; D. H. Lawrence’s The Rainbow – for Ursula Brangwen’s struggle against her early child-centred idealism in the reality of St Philips School; and Alan Bennett’s The History Boys – for Hector’s role as the subversive teacher committed to knowledge.

I hope I have produced a list of books, displayed here in alphabetical order, that are held to be important by today’s teachers. I make no apology for including the book I wrote with Kathryn Ecclestone, The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education because it is an influential critical work that has produced considerable controversy. If you disagree with this, or any other of my choices, please add your alternative “canonical” books on education.

Michael W. Apple – Official Knowledge: Democratic Education in a Conservative Age (1993)

Hannah Arendt – Between Past and Future (1961), for the essay “The Crisis in Education” (1958)

Matthew Arnold – Culture and Anarchy (1867-9)

Robin Barrow – Giving Teaching Back to the Teachers (1984)

Tom Bentley – Learning Beyond The Classroom: Education for a Changing World (1998)

Allan Bloom – The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today’s Students (1987)

Pierre Bourdieu and Jean-Claude Passeron – Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture (1977)

Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis – Schooling in Capitalist America: Educational Reform and the Contradictions of Economic Life (1976)

Jerome Bruner – The Process of Education (1960)

John Dewey – Democracy and Education (1916)

Margaret Donaldson – Children’s Minds (1978)

JWB Douglas – The Home and the School (1964)

Kathryn Ecclestone and Dennis Hayes – The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education (2008)

Harold Entwistle – Antonio Gramsci: Conservative Schooling for Radical Politics (1979).

Paulo Freire – Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1968/1970)

Frank Furedi – Wasted: Why Education Isn’t Educating (2009)

Helene Guldberg – Reclaiming Childhood (2009)

ED Hirsch Jnr. – The Schools We Need And Why We Don’t Have Them (1999)

Paul H Hirst – Knowledge and the Curriculum (1974) For the essay which appears as Chapter 3 ‘Liberal Education and the Nature of Knowledge’ (1965)

John Holt – How Children Fail (1964)

Eric Hoyle – The Role of the Teacher (1969)

James Davison Hunter – The Death of Character: Moral Education in an Age without Good or Evil (2000)

Ivan Illich – Deschooling Society (1971)

Nell Keddie (Ed.) – Tinker, Taylor: The Myth of Cultural Deprivation (1973)

John Locke – Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1692)

John Stuart Mill – Autobiography (1873)

Sybil Marshall – An Experiment in Education (1963)

Alexander Sutherland Neil – Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Child Rearing (1960)

John Henry Newman – The Idea of a University (1873)

Michael Oakeshott – The Voice of Liberal Learning (1989) In particular for the essay “Education: The Engagement and Its Frustration” (1972)

Anthony O’ Hear – Education, Society and Human Nature: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education (1981)

Richard Stanley Peters – Ethics and Education (1966)

Melanie Phillips – All Must Have Prizes (1996)

Plato – The Republic (366BC?)

Plato – Protagoras (390BC?) and Meno (387BC?)

Neil Postman – The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School (1995)

Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner – Teaching as a Subversive Activity (1969)

Herbert Read – Education Through Art (1943)

Carl Rogers – Freedom to Learn: A View of What Education Might Become (1969)

Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Émile or “on education” (1762)

Bertrand Russell – On Education (1926)

Israel Scheffler – The Language of Education (1960)

Brian Simon – Does Education Matter? (1985) Particularly for the paper “Why No Pedagogy in England?” (1981)

JW Tibble (Ed.) – The Study of Education (1966)

Lev Vygotsky – Thought and Language (1934/1962)

Alfred North Whitehead – The Aims of Education and other essays (1929)

Paul E. Willis – Learning to Labour: How Working Class Kids Get Working Class Jobs (1977)

Alison Wolf – Does Education Matter? Myths about Education and Economic Growth (2002)

Michael FD Young (Ed) – Knowledge and Control: New Directions for the Sociology of Education (1971)

Michael FD Young – Bringing Knowledge Back In: From Social Constructivism to Social Realism in the Sociology of Education (2007)

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Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

Education Articles & More

Thought-provoking books for educators in 2022, greater good ’s education editors pick some of the most inspiring and informative education books of the year..

Things are tough right now in education. The pandemic exposed and intensified the cracks in a system that has long been in need of an overhaul.

Our favorite books this year offer not only inspiration and hope, but also practical things education professionals can do to change the system. As we reviewed the books, we realized that reading them in a particular order offered a “macro” to “micro” path forward, starting with Steven C. Rockefeller’s Spiritual Democracy and Our Schools . This beautifully written book offers a vision of what the U.S. (and other democracies) can become, and education’s role in making that vision a reality.

We suggest that you next read Let Your Light Shine for a reality check of how far we still have to go. Sharing the powerful origin story of the Holistic Life Foundation, the authors hold nothing back as they talk about the impact of systemic racism and structural inequities on youth—and how yoga, mindfulness, and a lot of love can help heal.

With a vision and a reality check in place, the remaining three books are about rolling up our sleeves and digging into the work of redoing our educational system. The highly practical Reconnect focuses on how educators can create classrooms of belonging, centering on specific techniques, virtue development, and group engagement. Cultivating Kindness reminds us of the need for and power of kindness in schools—something that makes the path forward a little gentler. And, finally, Surviving Teacher Burnout gives educators research-based tools and insights for building their own inner resilience—so they can do the hard work that transforming education takes.

Education is on the cusp of dramatically shifting how we teach our students. We hope these books offer new ways of seeing and thinking about education, and the inspiration to keep going.

Spiritual Democracy and Our Schools: Renewing the American Spirit With Education for the Whole Child , by Steven C. Rockefeller

At the root of America’s disunity, argues scholar Steven Rockefeller, is “the erosion and weakening of America’s moral and spiritual foundation, reflecting estrangement from our better selves and one another and the larger community of life on Earth.” The issues we face stem from our failure “to respect and honor the inherent dignity and equal rights of the other.” In other words, “America is a nation in search of its soul.”

Rockefeller urges a renewed sense of shared values and common purpose of living out the ideals of democracy. Integrating these ideals into education with “relational spirituality” (foundational human values like respect, care, and gratitude) can help to solve the problems we face and lay a firm foundation for a more unified nation. That’s because it will set students “on the path to authentic freedom, responsible democratic citizenship, and caring, creative leadership of their own lives and their communities.”

Science-based educational initiatives such as social-emotional learning, mindfulness, and the burgeoning “spirituality in education” field play a key role in carrying out this work.

This free, downloadable book expands on the ideas expressed in the author’s keynote at the first Collaborative for Spirituality in Education conference in 2019, hosted by Teachers College at Columbia University.  For educators who are feeling demoralized, this book reminds us of the bigger “why” of what we do.

In this time of extreme challenge, educators can take heart that they are contributing to the excruciatingly difficult work of rebuilding the foundation of this country. As Rockefeller writes, they are helping to foster “an American democratic culture that cultivates reverence for the mystery of being, a sense of belonging in the universe, gratitude for the gift of life, a love of Earth, and an ethical commitment to respect and care for the greater community of life and to practice sustainable development.” —Vicki Zakrzewski

Let Your Light Shine: How Mindfulness Can Empower Children and Rebuild Communities , by Ali Smith, Atman Smith, and Andres Gonzalez

In 2001, brothers Ali and Atman Smith and their friend Andres Gonzalez started the Holistic Life Foundation to enhance the well-being of low-income, underserved communities through yoga, mindfulness, self-care, and other programming. Let Your Light Shine is the extraordinary story of their journey, with research, practical exercises, and ancient Yogic science and philosophy woven throughout. Hands down, this is one of the best books on the mindfulness-in-education movement I have come across—because it is so honest and real.

The authors argue that “the best solutions are the home-grown solutions,” meaning that the people within a community are best suited to help heal the community. They began their program in the Baltimore neighborhood where Ali and Atman grew up, working with local students who were highly traumatized due to systemic racism, structural inequities, poverty, and many other challenges that no child should ever have to face.

They don’t hold back on how phenomenally challenging this work has been for them. They are adamant that educators must not only have a mindfulness practice of their own, but also have done “the personal work of working through [their] own triggers, traumas, resentments, and fear.” Why? Because “traumatized kids can trigger the *&^% out of you.” But, in the end, they argue that “love is the most powerful force in the universe” and that their work is “creating love zombies; we want to infect people with love and have them go around spreading it—minus all the eating people and stuff.”

Honoring the Teacher's Heart: Well-Being Practices for School Change

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I also appreciated that the authors didn’t shy away from sharing aspects of their own spiritual path. They agree that the spiritual aspects of this work should be kept out of schools, but there is much to be learned from understanding the original wisdom out of which these practices grew. And as research on the importance of cultivating spirituality within students expands, this may be the next chapter in the field.

Overall, the authors’ story is grounded in wisdom, love, humility, vulnerability, and a powerful inner strength cultivated from years of balancing the external work with the internal. I hope you will laugh, cry, and ponder over this book—and then be inspired to do your own inner work so that you can better help others, too. —Vicki Zakrzewski

Reconnect: Building School Culture for Meaning, Purpose, and Belonging , by Doug Lemov, Hilary Lewis, Darryl Williams, and Denarius Frazier

How can we cultivate a sense of belonging and connection at school? This is a question on the hearts of many educators as they face a sharp decline in post-pandemic student learning and well-being. In Reconnect , Doug Lemov (of Teach Like a Champion fame) and his coauthors focus on what belonging can look like and sound like— while students are learning.

Although the authors devote a portion of the book to problematizing cell phone usage, the meat of Reconnect features case studies, free videos, and classroom discussions that model concrete belonging “signals” to “rewire” classrooms and enhance group learning.

For example, some of the techniques they offer include snaps of appreciation, smiles, and “tracking” skills (showing interest through eye contact and body posture). They also emphasize the value of “talking to and not past someone” with discussion role scaffolds like “builder” (“Linking to that point, I think…”), “challenger” (“I disagree with you because…”), and “summarizer” (“The main ideas raised today were…”).

The book’s focus on “social engineering” and the repetition of call-and-response techniques may make some readers uncomfortable, yet Lemov and his team argue that these rituals can have a strong auditory and visual appeal—as a cultural outgrowth of communal chants and songs that create a sense of connectedness.

Lemov and his team also draw on Angela Duckworth’s definition of “virtues” (like gratitude and resilience) as “ways of thinking, feeling and acting that we [can] habitually do that are good for others and good for ourselves.” They prioritize virtue development as a way to enhance school-wide social and emotional learning, and they advise every school to choose five to seven virtues and belonging cues that reflect their own mission, values, and culture.

In Reconnect ’s most inspiring segments, however, the authors highlight examples of positive group synergy, active learning, and deep group engagement (or “ flow ”)—moments where students are jointly absorbed in rich discussions of mathematics. This book helps educators to see that belonging cues and learning techniques can complement and build on each other. —Amy L. Eva

Cultivating Kindness: An Educator’s Guide , by John-Tyler Binfet

The immense need for John-Tyler Binfet’s book Cultivating Kindness: An Educator’s Guide is found in the dedication. When asked by Binfet for a definition of kindness, one student wrote, “Kindness is making someone feel like s/he belongs or feels special. Like the world didn’t make a mistake.”

As human beings, we deeply crave kindness. So much so that kindness is the number-one quality we look for in romantic partners. And yet, in education, kindness often gets the short end of the stick, seen as irrelevant to academic success or too soft for the workplace. However, pointing to years of research—including some of his own—Binfet makes a strong case for cultivating kindness in schools and how it can contribute to student and educator well-being, positive peer relationships, and an inclusive school culture. He also shares examples of how students of all ages describe their experience of kindness, both giving and receiving it from peers and teachers alike. As he wryly points out, helping students to learn, rather than giving them fancy field trips and extra recess time, is how teachers can demonstrate kindness.

In addition to the research, Binfet also includes practical examples of how to foster kindness in students and schools, such as helping students create a “kindness action plan” for performing intentional acts of kindness over a specified amount of time. He notes most students will choose their close friends as recipients of these acts, potentially leaving out students who already feel excluded. Hence, to foster a sense of belonging, educators should encourage students to go beyond their peer group.

My favorite part of the book, however, is Binfet’s discovery of “quiet kindness”—those acts that go unseen and unacknowledged and, as he notes, require advanced social and emotional skills, but ones that students can learn. To me, helping students internalize kindness to such a degree that they don’t look for outer rewards is one of the most powerful ways we can create a kinder world—one in which no one feels like a mistake. —Vicki Zakrzewski

Honorable Mention:

Surviving Teacher Burnout: A Weekly Guide to Build Relationships, Deal with Emotional Exhaustion, and Stay Inspired in the Classroom by Greater Good ’s own Amy L. Eva

Pulling on her experience as both a classroom educator and teacher educator, Amy Eva masterfully weaves together the science and practice for how teachers can build a strong inner life—a life that can help them not just navigate the storms and trials of teaching, but also find renewal and hope in the darkest days. (Only those who have spent time in the classroom can truly understand how hard this work actually is.) Indeed, I wish I had this book when I was training to be a teacher. Not a single professor or master teacher ever mentioned the emotional toll that teaching takes—instead, like many teachers including the author, I learned it the hard way.

Eva provides 52 weeks of topics, from being with difficult emotions to learning to forgive to feeling empathic joy, that include practical exercises and the scientific “why” for each one. This book could and should be woven into teacher education classes—it’s the missing piece that may be the most important part of a preservice teacher’s preparation.

For in-service educators, Eva provides insight into why so many are feeling exhausted and demoralized, but also how to heal and move forward with stronger clarity and the resilience to change a system that no longer works. And for educators who are implementing social-emotional learning—you will have the added benefit of understanding even more the science behind it, helping to deepen your work with students. I have had the pleasure of working closely with the author for over half a decade and I can truly say that the best of her is in this book: Eva’s deep empathy and concern for educators, her ability to connect with her audience and to help them connect with each other, and her extensive and practical knowledge for strengthening the lives of teachers. “Hope doesn’t have to perch quietly in each of our souls,” she writes. “We can share it and live it, collectively. As an African proverb says, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’” —Vicki Zakrzewski

About the Authors

Vicki Zakrzewski

Vicki Zakrzewski, Ph.D. , is the education director of the Greater Good Science Center.

Amy L. Eva, Ph.D. , is the associate education director at the Greater Good Science Center. As an educational psychologist and teacher educator with over 25 years in classrooms, she currently writes, presents, and leads online courses focused on student and educator well-being, mindfulness, and courage. Her new book, Surviving Teacher Burnout: A Weekly Guide To Build Resilience, Deal with Emotional Exhaustion, and Stay Inspired in the Classroom, features 52 simple, low-lift strategies for enhancing educators’ social and emotional well-being.

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Best Books on Education

Expand your understanding of learning with these key books on education, compiled from notable educational articles and rankings, and sequenced by how often they were spotlighted..

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The New Psychology of Success

Carol S. Dweck | 5.00

Tony Robbins [Tony Robbins recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

Bill Gates One of the reasons I loved Mindset is because it’s solutions-oriented. In the book’s final chapter, Dweck describes the workshop she and her colleagues have developed to shift students from a fixed to a growth mindset. These workshops demonstrate that ‘just learning about the growth mindset can cause a big shift in the way people think about themselves and their lives. (Source)

Dustin Moskovitz [Dustin Moskovitz recommended this book on Twitter.] (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Tara Westover | 4.99

Bill Gates Tara never went to school or visited a doctor until she left home at 17. I never thought I’d relate to a story about growing up in a Mormon survivalist household, but she’s such a good writer that she got me to reflect on my own life while reading about her extreme childhood. Melinda and I loved this memoir of a young woman whose thirst for learning was so strong that she ended up getting a Ph.D.... (Source)

Barack Obama As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists. It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved. It also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors – some who are household names and others who you may not have heard of before. Here’s my best of 2018... (Source)

Alexander Stubb If you read or listen to only one book this summer, this is it. Bloody brilliant! Every word, every sentence. Rarely do I go through a book with such a rollecoaster of emotion, from love to hate. Thank you for sharing ⁦@tarawestover⁩ #Educated https://t.co/GqLaqlcWMp (Source)

The Story of Success

Malcolm Gladwell | 4.63

Bill Gates [On Bill Gates's reading list in 2011.] (Source)

James Altucher Gladwell is not the first person to come up with the 10,000 hour rule. Nor is he the first person to document what it takes to become the best in the world at something. But his stories are so great as he explains these deep concepts. How did the Beatles become the best? Why are professional hockey players born in January, February and March? And so on. (Source)

Cat Williams-Treloar The books that I've talked the most about with friends and colleagues over the years are the Malcolm Gladwell series of novels. Glorious stories that mix science, behaviours and insight. You can't go wrong with the "The Tipping Point", "Outliers", "Blink" or "David & Goliath". (Source)

How Children Succeed

Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character

Paul Tough | 4.60

Chelsea Frank I was reading a book, “How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character” by Paul Tough on a recommendation by my sister, a Middle School teacher. At that time I considered myself a great mother with natural intuition and did not go to the book as a means of “self-help” but of leisurely pleasure. However, I was perplexed when I discovered that even the most intelligent,... (Source)

Make It Stick

The Science of Successful Learning

Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel | 4.57

Barbara Oakley If you’re trying to keep up your reading about learning, one of the best books about learning is Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter Brown, Henry Roediger III, and Mark McDaniel. This insightful book was co-authored by some of the most influential researchers around. The book jacket says it best: “Many common study habits and practice routines turn out to be... (Source)

Pedagogy of the Oppressed

erbac | 4.56

Alexis Isabel @dontkauf i’ve read it! great book, def worth a re-read (Source)

How to Read a Book

The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading

Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren | 4.55

Sergey Brin had “How to Read a Book” by Mortimer J. Adler as one of his most recommended books. (Source)

Ben Chestnut I also love How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler. I’m teaching its tips to my children while they’re young, so they can consume books much faster and have more fun reading. (Source)

Kevin Systrom [The author's] thesis is that the most important part of reading a book is to actually read the table of contents and familiarize yourself with the major structure of the book. (Source)

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Kahneman | 4.53

Barack Obama A few months ago, Mr. Obama read “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” by Daniel Kahneman, about how people make decisions — quick, instinctive thinking versus slower, contemplative deliberation. For Mr. Obama, a deliberator in an instinctive business, this may be as instructive as any political science text. (Source)

Bill Gates [On Bill Gates's reading list in 2012.] (Source)

Marc Andreessen Captivating dive into human decision making, marred by inclusion of several/many? psychology studies that fail to replicate. Will stand as a cautionary tale? (Source)

Savage Inequalities

Children in America's Schools

Jonathan Kozol | 4.53

The Book Whisperer

Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child

Donalyn Miller, Jeff Anderson | 4.52

Don't have time to read the top Education books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

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The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

Susan Cain | 4.51

Simon Sinek eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'theceolibrary_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_5',164,'0','1'])); Leaders needn’t be the loudest. Leadership is not about theater. It’s not about dominance. It is about putting the lives of others before any other priority. In Quiet, Cain affirms to a good many of us who are introverts by nature that we needn’t try to be extroverts if we want to lead.... (Source)

Jason Fried A good book I’d recommend is “Quiet” by Susan Cain. (Source)

James Altucher Probably half the world is introverts. Maybe more. It’s not an easy life to live. I sometimes have that feeling in a room full of people, “uh-oh. I just shut down. I can’t talk anymore and there’s a lock on my mouth and this crowd threw away the key.” Do you ever get that feeling? Please? I hope you do. Let’s try to lock eyes at the party. “Quiet” shows the reader how to unlock the secret powers... (Source)

Dumbing Us Down

The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling

John Taylor Gatto | 4.51

The Smartest Kids in the World

And How They Got That Way

Amanda Ripley | 4.49

Angela Duckworth | 4.48

Benjamin Spall [Question: What five books would you recommend to youngsters interested in your professional path?] [...] Grit by Angela Duckworth (Source)

Bogdan Lucaciu Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - it was frustrating to read: “Where was this book 20 years ago!?” (Source)

Stephen Lew When asked what books he would recommend to youngsters interested in his professional path, Stephen mentioned Grit. (Source)

Teaching to Transgress

Education as the Practice of Freedom

bell hooks | 4.48

Brene Brown This book sat next to my bed the entire first year I taught at the University of Houston. Hooks' idea of "education as the practice of freedom" shaped who I am today. Whenever difficult conversations about race, class, or gender begin to surface, I remember what she taught me: If your students are comfortable, you're not doing your job. (Source)

Les Back It’s really a wonderful account of the possibility that education has to shape and transform lives. (Source)

The Well-Trained Mind

A Guide to Classical Education at Home

Susan Wise Bauer, Jessie Wise | 4.45

Why Don't Students Like School?

A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom

Daniel T. Willingham | 4.44

The Death and Life of the Great American School System

How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education

Diane Ravitch | 4.44

Other People's Children

Cultural Conflict in the Classroom

Lisa Delpit | 4.43

Kelly Wickham Hurst @MJAntinarelli @KaitPopielarz It’s amazing. It’s THE book that changed everything for me early on in my career. It was such a swift kick to the head. (Source)

Michelle Rhee Other People’s Children is one of the books that all educators should read because it really gives a different perspective on teaching children who may not be of the same race or socioeconomic background. I think it’s always important for teachers to understand the cultural norms and expectations that prevail in the school environment where they work. Teachers need to be cognisant, not... (Source)

The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Daniel H. Pink | 4.42

Tobi Lütke [Tobi Lütke recommended this book in an interview in "The Globe and Mail."] (Source)

David Heinemeier Hansson Takes some of those same ideas about motivations and rewards and extrapolates them in a little bit. (Source)

Mike Benkovich I'd recommend a sprinkling of business books followed by a heap of productivity and behavioural psychology books. The business books will help you with principals and the psychological books help with everything else in your life. Building your own business can really f!@# you up psychologically. (Source)

The First Days of School

How to Be An Effective Teacher [with CD]

Harry K. Wong, Rosemary T. Wong | 4.42

I Am Malala

The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb | 4.41

Adrienne Kisner Malala’s story of triumph is a battle cry for girls (and boys) everywhere. Education can set you free. (Source)

Three Cups of Tea

One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time

Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin | 4.40

Jennifer Steil Greg Mortenson has changed literally thousands and thousands of lives. (Source)

Nicholas Kristof I think Greg does a very good job of providing a more nuanced portrait of the Islamic world and what is possible in it. (Source)

Gretchen Peters I went to a refugee camp after 9/11 where people were living in tents and boiling grass to make tea and at least one family offered to let me sleep in their tent. (Source)

Lies My Teacher Told Me

Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong

James W. Loewen | 4.40

Creative Schools

The Grassroots Revolution That's Transforming Education

Sir Ken Robinson PhD and Lou Aronica | 4.37

Ng Rong Xin Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That's Transforming Education by Sir Ken Robinson - a book for educator or edu-preneur or anyone who wants to make a change in the education realm. (Source)

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Stephen R. Covey | 4.37

Dustin Moskovitz [I] was surprised at how familiar the topics felt. (Source)

Dave Ramsey [Dave Ramsey recommended this book on his website.] (Source)

Kishore Biyani Immensely helpful and influential during my early years, it explained some of the basic mindsets required to succeed in any profession. (Source)

For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too

Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education

Christopher Emdin | 4.31

Teach Like a Champion

49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College

Doug Lemov | 4.31

Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire

The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56

Rafe Esquith | 4.28

The Shame of the Nation

The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America

Jonathan Kozol | 4.28

The One World Schoolhouse

Education Reimagined

Salman Kha | 4.28

How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It

Mr. Kelly Gallagher | 4.28

How Children Fail

John Holt | 4.27

Carol Dweck This was a revolutionary book. In it John Holt talks about why students turn off their minds, why even students from privileged backgrounds and schools become intellectually numb. Why do they fail? (Source)

Jacqueline Leighton One of the things that John Holt talks about is how children can learn to game the system, because they begin to realise what it will take to do well in school. (Source)

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

And Other Conversations About Race

Beverly Daniel Tatum | 4.26

Denise Morris Kipnis I was serving on the board of a prestigious and exclusive school when I first read this. As part of the school’s commitment to inclusion, every group, including the board, went through diversity training. Our consultant, Glenn Singleton of Pacific Education Group, never let us forget why we were there: that improving outcomes for all our students was a business imperative. As a result of this... (Source)

The Read-Aloud Handbook

Jim Trelease | 4.26

Bethany S. Mandel Also: Read Aloud Revival (all parents should check it out), this is another great book for all parents: https://t.co/632afZ2yFC, and we like Beautiful Feet Books curriculum too (lots of literature based options on world cultures, history, character etc) (Source)

The Four Agreements

A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

Don Miguel Ruiz, Janet Mills | 4.23

Jack Dorsey Question: What are the books that had a major influence on you? Or simply the ones you like the most. : Tao te Ching, score takes care of itself, between the world and me, the four agreements, the old man and the sea...I love reading! (Source)

Charlamagne Tha God These are the books I recommend people to listen to on @applebooks. (Source)

Karlie Kloss I just think it’s got a lot of great principles and ideas. (Source)

Excellent Sheep

The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life

William Deresiewicz | 4.23

Bryan Callen There’s a guy who I just had on my podcast, Mark Deresiewicz, who wrote a book called Excellent Sheep. He was a Yale professor, and took a look at the essentially what was wrong with higher education, at these elite institutions, primarily places like Amherst and Yale and Harvard. And one of the things he said is that we’re breeding excellent sheep. You’ve got 31 flavors of vanilla. These kids... (Source)

The Element

How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything

Ken Robinson, Lou Aronica | 4.23

Ng Rong Xin I read this book the year I graduated from college and was in my first job. It was a game-changer because it was after I read the book that I decided to take a plunge to start Explorer Junior, my start-up. (Source)

The Teacher Wars

A History of America's Most Embattled Profession

Dana Goldstein | 4.22

Amusing Ourselves to Death

Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

Neil Postman, Andrew Postman | 4.21

Austin Kleon Earlier this year Postman’s son Andrew wrote an op-ed with the title, “My dad predicted Trump in 1985 — it’s not Orwell, he warned, it’s Brave New World.” Postman wrote: “What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.” (Source)

Steve Lance Neil Postman took the work of Marshall McLuhan – who was putting out early theories on media – and built on them. However, Postman was far more observant and empirical about the trends occurring in the media landscape. The trends which he identifies in Amusing Ourselves to Death, written in the 1980s, have since all come true. For example, he predicted that if you make news entertaining, then... (Source)

Kara Nortman @andrewchen Also a great book on the topic - Amusing Ourselves to Death https://t.co/yWLBxKumLQ (Source)

The Coddling of the American Mind

How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure

Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan Haidt | 4.21

Mark Manson The kids aren’t alright. No, really—I know every generation says that, but this time it’s true. Kids who grew up with smartphones (and have begun to enter the university system) are emotionally stunted, overly fragile, and exhibiting mental health issues at alarming rates. I expected this book to be another, “Let’s all shit on social media together,” party, but it’s not. Social media, of course,... (Source)

Max Levchin Highlights the need to continue to have such discussions about sensitive topics instead of ignoring them for the sake of comfort. (Source)

Glenn Beck Just finished The Coddling of the American mind by @glukianoff Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. Insightful. Straight forward and very helpful. A book that not only correctly identifies what ails us but also gives practical steps to cure. MUST READ (Source)

How Children Learn

John Holt | 4.21

Experience and Education

John Dewey | 4.20

Lost at School

Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them

Ross W. Greene Ph.D. | 4.20

Weapons of Mass Instruction

A Schoolteacher's Journey Through The Dark World of Compulsory Schooling

John Taylor Gatto | 4.20

Seth Godin I end up recommending this book to parents again and again. It will transform the way you think of schooling. (Source)

Reign of Error

The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools

Diane Ravitch | 4.20

The Well-Educated Mind

A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had

Susan Wise Bauer | 4.19

The Power of Habit

Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

Charles Duhigg | 4.19

Naval Ravikant I also recently finished The Power of Habit, or close to finish as I get. That one was interesting, not because of its content necessarily, but because it’s good for me to always keep on top of mind how powerful my habits are. [...] I think learning how to break habits is a very important meta-skill that can serve you better in life than almost anything else. Although you can read tons of books... (Source)

Blake Irving You know, there's a book called The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Simple read book about just how to build positive habits that can be I think I what I'd call you know whether in your personal life or whether in your business life to help you build you know, have a loop that can build your success and that's one I mean there are so many great books out there. (Source)

Santiago Basulto Another book with great impact was “The power of habit”. But to be honest, I read only a couple of pages. It’s a good book, with many interesting stories. But to be honest, the idea it tries to communicate is simple and after a couple of pages you’ve pretty much understood all of it. Happens the same thing with those types of books (Getting things done, crossing the chasm, etc.) (Source)

Educating Esmé

Diary of a Teacher's First Year

Esme Raji Codell, Jim Trelease | 4.19

The Daily Five

Gail Boushey, Joan Moser | 4.19

The Courage to Teach

Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life

Parker J. Palmer | 4.18

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk

Adele Faber, Elaine Mazlish | 4.18

Jeff Atwood "The best marriage advice book I’ve read is a paperback called How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk. As you might deduce from the title, it wasn’t meant as a marriage advice book." https://t.co/cy7JeKVsjV (Source)

Miguel De Icaza @codinghorror Yes - that is an awesome book too (Source)

How to Read Literature Like a Professor

Thomas C. Foster | 4.17

In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may...

In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may signify a communion; and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.

The Whole-Brain Child

12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind

Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson | 4.16

Genevieve Von Lob Siegel uses what neuroscience tells us about how a child’s brain develops to provide practical tips for parents. (Source)

Graham Duncan [Graham Duncan recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

Freakonomics

A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Stephen J. Levitt, Steven D.; Dubner | 4.16

Malcolm Gladwell I don’t need to say much here. This book invented an entire genre. Economics was never supposed to be this entertaining. (Source)

Daymond John I love newer books like [this book]. (Source)

James Altucher [James Altucher recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)

Brain Rules

12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

John Medina | 4.16

James Altucher Discusses how to keep your brain healthy. (Source)

Dmitry Dragilev There’s a book called Brain Rules, also a great book, by John Medina, sort of like how your brain works. (Source)

Democracy and Education

John Dewey | 4.16

Last Child in the Woods

Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

Richard Louv | 4.16

Genevieve Von Lob Louv coined the term ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ because he was so concerned about the alienation of young people from nature. (Source)

Free to Learn

Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life

Peter Gray | 4.16

Punished by Rewards

The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise and Other Bribes

Alfie Kohn | 4.16

David Heinemeier Hansson Outlines all the scientific research on why incentive systems don't work. (Source)

The Essential 55

An Award-Winning Educator's Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child

Ron Clark | 4.15

For the Children's Sake

Foundations of Education for Home and School

Susan Schaeffer Macaulay | 4.15

Bethany S. Mandel More: AmblesideOnline has lots of info and an amazing curriculum, Exploring Nature with Children is a great preschool curriculum and this book is a great place to start too: https://t.co/jETfCMdEnS (Source)

Teaching with Poverty in Mind

What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains and What Schools Can Do about It

Eric Jensen | 4.15

Understanding by Design

Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe | 4.15

Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design. Drawing on feedback from thousands of educators around...

Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design. Drawing on feedback from thousands of educators around the world who have used the UbD framework since its introduction in 1998, the authors have revised and expanded their original work to guide educators across the K16 spectrum in the design of curriculum, assessment, and instruction. With an improved UbD Template at its core, the book explains the rationale of backward design and explores in greater depth the meaning of such key ideas as essential questions and transfer tasks. Readers will learn why the familiar coverage- and activity-based approaches to curriculum design fall short, and how a focus on the six facets of understanding can enrich student learning. With an expanded array of practical strategies, tools, and examples from all subject areas, the book demonstrates how the research-based principles of Understanding by Design apply to district frameworks as well as to individual units of curriculum.

Combining provocative ideas, thoughtful analysis, and tested approaches, Understanding by Design , Expanded 2nd Edition, offers teacher-designers a clear path to the creation of curriculum that ensures better learning and a more stimulating experience for students and teachers alike.

Michelle Rhee Understanding by Design is an incredibly influential book. Its premise is that you have to start curriculum design with an end in mind. You figure out what your goal is first and plan backwards from there, building your curriculum around what you want to achieve. It sounds very simple but for a long time people weren’t doing that. They were covering units or textbooks without clear priorities or... (Source)

How We Learn

The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens

Benedict Carey | 4.15

Vladimir Oane He does a brilliant job proving that our thinking about learning is rooted more in superstition than in science. And boy this book is filled with science. It is extremely evident that the author is a science nerd because this book is 95% filled with studies and experiments on lots and lots of topics related to the learning: memorization, forgetting, associations, perceptions etc. This could make... (Source)

Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain

Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

Zaretta L. (Lynn) Hammond | 4.14

The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Malcolm Gladwell | 4.13

Mike Shinoda I know most of the guys in the band read [this book]. (Source)

Marillyn Hewson CEO Marilyn Hewson recommends this book because it helped her to trust her instincts in business. (Source)

A Mind for Numbers

How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra)

Barbara Oakley PhD | 4.13

Mike Rowe A good teacher will leave you educated. But a great teacher will leave you curious. Well, Barbara Oakley is a great teacher. Not only does she have a mind for numbers, she has a way with words, and she makes every one of them count (Source)

Teach Like a Pirate

Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator

Dave Burgess | 4.13

Reading in the Wild

Donalyn Miller | 4.13

The Elements of Style

William Jr. Strunk | 4.13

Tobi Lütke [My] most frequently gifted book is [this book] because I like good writing. (Source)

Bill Nye This is my guide. I accept that I’ll never write anything as good as the introductory essay by [the author]. It’s brilliant. (Source)

Jennifer Rock If you are interested in writing and communication, start with reading and understanding the technical aspects of the craft: The Elements of Style. On Writing Well. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. (Source)

The Underground History of American Education

An Intimate Investigation Into the Prison of Modern Schooling

John Taylor Gatto, Richard Grove, et al. | 4.12

NurtureShock

New Thinking About Children

Po Bronson, Ashley Merryman | 4.12

A Thomas Jefferson Education

Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century

Oliver Van DeMille | 4.11

Teaching with Love and Logic

Taking Control of the Classroom

Jim Fay, David Funk | 4.11

Teaching from Rest

A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace

Sarah Mackenzie and Dr. Christopher Perrin | 4.10

Whatever It Takes

Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America

Paul Tough | 4.10

Julia Enthoven As for non-fiction, Half the Sky (about crimes against women, especially in the developing world) and Whatever it Takes (about the Harlem Children’s Zone and the work of Geoffrey Canada) both changed my world-view enormously, and I thought they were both super compelling. (Source)

What Great Teachers Do Differently

17 Things That Matter Most

Todd Whitaker | 4.10

Out of Our Minds

Learning to Be Creative

Ken Robinson | 4.09

Deschooling Society

Ivan Illich | 4.09

Teacher Man (Frank McCourt, #3)

Frank McCourt | 4.09

A Whole New Mind

Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age

Daniel H. Pink | 4.09

Park Howell This is one of the books I recommend to people looking for a career in advertising. (Source)

Teaching as a Subversive Activity

Neil Postman, Charles Weingartner | 4.06

Moonwalking with Einstein

The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

Joshua Foer | 4.06

Bill Gates Of the five books I finished over vacation, the one that impressed me the most – and that is probably of broadest interest – is Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, by science writer Joshua Foer. This is an absolutely phenomenal book that looks at memory and techniques for dramatically improving memory. Foer actually mastered these techniques, which led him to... (Source)

Chelsea Handler It has changed my life and made me embarrass myself much less when meeting someone twice. (Source)

Deborah Blum This book focuses not so much on the scientists but more on the consequence and meaning of memory for the rest of us. Within the framework of a memory championship, Foer looks at this almost obsessive interest in learning, how to remember everything. He asks the really interesting philosophical question, which is, are we defined by what we remember? (Source)

The Abolition of Man

C. S. Lewi | 4.05

Letters to a Young Teacher

Jonathan Kozol | 4.05

A Framework for Understanding Poverty

Ruby K. Payne | 4.05

The Global Achievement Gap

Why Our Kids Don't Have the Skills They Need for College, Careers, and Citizenship—and What We Can Do About It

Tony Wagner | 4.05

Creating Innovators

The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World

Tony Wagner | 4.04

David and Goliath

Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

Malcolm Gladwell | 4.04

Catalina Penciu Business-wise, my goal for this year is to improve my collection and my mindset, but my favorite so far has been David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell. (Source)

Robert Katai Buy Malcolm Gladwell’s book “David and Goliath” and read the interesting stories about how the Davids of that moments have defeated the Goliaths. (Source)

The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools

Monique W. Morris | 4.04

I Read It, but I Don't Get It

Comprehension Strategies for Adolescent Readers

Cris Tovani | 4.04

The End of Education

Redefining the Value of School

Neil Postman | 4.04

Making Thinking Visible

How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners

Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, Karin Morrison | 4.03

Choice Words

How Our Language Affects Children's Learning

Peter H. Johnston | 4.03

The Reading Strategies Book

Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers

Jennifer Serravallo | 4.03

"Multiplication Is for White People"

Raising Expectations for Other People's Children

Lisa Delpit | 4.02

Work Hard. Be Nice.

How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America

Jay Mathews | 4.01

Bill Gates Gives a great sense of how hard it was to get KIPP going and how intense the focus on good teaching is. (Source)

The CAFE Book

Engaging All Students in Daily Literacy Assessment and Instruction

Gail Boushey, Joan Moser | 4.00

The Total Money Makeover

A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness (Classic Edition)

Dave Ramsey | 4.00

Eric 'Dids' Recently listened to the Audiobook "Total Money Makeover" and am amazed how much it has made a difference, arguably more so outside of finance. The motto posed in the book, "Live like nobody else so eventually you can live like nobody else." Is an amazing motto to have in life. (Source)

Vincent Pugliese Linchpin by Seth Godin, The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, and Rich Dad, Poor Dad had immediate effects on my life. (Source)

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Ten books every teacher should read

In the last decade, a wealth of books has brought together ideas to help teachers have the greatest impact on student learning. Here are just a few

P lato’s Republic, Rousseau’s Émile and Dewey’s Democracy and Education – there’s a strong case to be made, as Dennis Hayes has , that these are the only books on education that teachers need to read. But if I was about to enter the classroom as a teacher for the first time or was looking to improve my practice, I would probably want to read something with more practical advice on what I should be doing and, more importantly, on what I shouldn’t.

Much of what happens in a classroom is highly variable and hard to define, but over the last 10 years a wealth of books has sought to draw together evidence from other fields and provide a series of “best bets” on what might have the greatest impact on student learning. Here are just a few of them.

Why Don’t Students Like School? by Daniel Willingham

Understanding is remembering in disguise

In this eminently readable book, Willingham takes findings from cognitive science and applies them to the classroom in a straightforward and practical way. A central claim in this book is that while we are naturally curious, we are not naturally good at thinking and can only truly think about things we know. It also contains one of the best lines ever to feature in a book on education: “Memory is the residue of thought.”

The Hidden Lives of Learners by Graham Nuthall

Learning requires motivation, but motivation does not necessarily lead to learning

For Nuthall, three worlds exist in the classroom. First, the public world that is largely managed by the teacher and features easily-visible lesson activities and routines. Second, there is the “semi-private world of ongoing peer relationships” in which students foster and maintain social roles in the classroom. Last, there is the private world of the student’s own mind where learning actually takes. This book peels back the layers of those worlds and reveals many surprising findings.

Trivium 21c by Martin Robinson

In a true democracy all citizens share responsibility for their community

As a general model of what should happen in schools, this book has it all. Drawing on the classical triumvirate of grammar (knowledge), dialectic (questioning and debate) and rhetoric (expression), Robinson offers a model of education he wishes to see for his daughter and that seeks to draw on the past to anticipate an uncertain future.

Embedded Formative Assessment by Dylan Wiliam

The first fundamental principle of effective classroom feedback is that feedback should be more work for the recipient than the donor

Formative assessment is probably the most influential idea in schools today, and possibly the most misunderstood. In this book, the architect of formative assessment sets out the core principles of effective assessment but crucially applies them to the classroom with highly practical examples based on years of research in the field.

Seven Myths About Education by Daisy Christodoulou

If you only teach pupils using the knowledge they bring to the classroom, then you will reproduce educational inequalities

In this brief but explosive book, Christodoulou challenges several orthodoxies in education such as prioritising skills over knowledge, the claim that teacher-led instruction is passive, and why you can’t just look it up on Google. Whether or not you agree with everything in this book, every teacher should at least be acquainted with its arguments.

Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn by John Hattie and Gregory Yates

Knowing what to do matters more than knowing what your level is

First published in 2009, Hattie’s original book of alchemy, Visible Learning, attempted to illuminate the dark arts of pedagogy through the meta-analysis of hundreds of studies. In this book, Hattie teams up with cognitive psychologist Gregory Yates to provide another highly practical overview of how lessons from cognitive science can be useful in a range of different contexts. An indispensable reference guide for busy teachers.

Bringing Words to Life by Isabel L Beck, Margaret G McKeown and Linda Kucan

It is not the case that one either knows or does not know a word

Simply the best book on teaching vocabulary. The authors offer a three-tier model: tier one words are those that rarely require instruction such as “dog” or “run”, tier two consists of words that have “high utility for mature language users” such as “contradict” or “precede”, and tier three words are domain specific such as “pantheon” or “epidermis”. Tier two words are of vital importance to children’s development and this book provides sage advice on how to expand that vital range, along with a range of different approaches to broaden children’s vocabulary.

Make It Stick by Peter C Brown, Henry L Roediger and Mark A McDaniel

Learning is deeper and more durable when it’s effortful. Learning that’s easy is like writing in sand, here today and gone tomorrow

One of the more concrete findings from cognitive science is that many of the things that engender effective learning are highly counterintuitive. For example, many students will re-read and highlight material leading up to a test, something which the authors of this book show is little more than colouring in. Far more effective are practices such as interleaving, spaced learning and retrieval practice, which are expertly outlined in this easily accessible book.

Urban Myths About Learning and Education by Pedro De Bruyckere, Paul A Kirschner and Casper D Hulshof

It is our prior knowledge and experience that determines how we see the world

Do students really have different learning styles? Do they actually learn better if they discover things for themselves? Do we only use 10% of our brains? Do we need to know facts in an age of Google? If you’ve ever asked questions like these, then this book is for you. The authors draw on a huge body of evidence to address many common classroom myths that we could all do without.

Why Knowledge Matters by ED Hirsch

Thinking skills cannot readily be separated from one subject matter and applied to other subject matters

This important book argues that while students have been taught how to read, they have not been taught what to read and that cultural literacy matters far more than vague notions of 21st century skills. In short, what’s needed is a more serious look at the curriculum and a greater focus on what we are teaching instead of how we teach it.

Carl Hendrick is an English teacher, head of research and the author of What Does This Look Like in the Classroom? He tweets @C_Hendrick .

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7 Must-Read Books on Education

By maria popova.

ISAAC ASIMOV: THE ROVING MIND

Once we have computer outlets in every home, each of them hooked up to enormous libraries where anyone can ask any question and be given answers, be given reference materials, be something you’re interested in knowing, from an early age, however silly it might seem to someone else… that’s what YOU are interested in, and you can ask, and you can find out, and you can do it in your own home, at your own speed, in your own direction, in your own time… Then, everyone would enjoy learning. Nowadays, what people call learning is forced on you, and everyone is forced to learn the same thing on the same day at the same speed in class, and everyone is different.” ~ Isaac Asimov

SIR KEN ROBINSON: THE ELEMENT

We have a system of education that is modeled on the interest of industrialism and in the image of it. School are still pretty much organized on factory lines — ringing bells, separate facilities, specialized into separate subjects. We still educate children by batches. Why do we do that?”

For an excellent complement to The Element , we highly recommend Robinson’s prior book, Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative — re-released last month, it offers a thoughtful and provocative analysis of the disconnect between the kinds of “intelligence” measured and encouraged in schools and the kinds of creativity most essential to our society moving forward.

A NEW CULTURE OF LEARNING

We’re stuck in a mode where we’re using old systems of understanding learning to try to understand these new forms, and part of the disjoint means that we’re missing some really important and valuable data.” ~ Douglas Thomas

Our full review here .

CLARK KERR: THE USES OF THE UNIVERSITY

What the railroads did for the second half of the last century and the automobile for the first half of this century may be done for the second half of this century by the knowledge industry: And that is, to serve as the focal point for national growth.” ~ Clark Kerr

ANYA KAMENETZ: DIYU

The promise of free or marginal-cost open-source content, techno-hybridization, unbundling of educational functions, and learner-centered educational experiences and paths is too powerful to ignore. These changes are inevitable. They are happening now. […] However, these changes will not automatically become pervasive.” ~ Anya Kamenetz

KARL WEBER: WAITING FOR SUPERMAN

In America right now, a kid drops out of high school every 26 seconds. These drop-outs are 8 times more likely to go to prison, 50% less likely to vote, more likely to need social welfare assistance, not eligible for 90% of jobs, are being paid 40 cents to the dollar of earned by a college graduate, and continuing the cycle of poverty.”

HOWARD GARDNER: FIVE MINDS FOR THE FUTURE

The synthesizing mind takes information from disparate sources, understands and evaluates that information objectively, and puts it together in ways that make sense to the synthesizer and also to other persons. Valuable in the past, the capacity to synthesize becomes ever more crucial as information continues to mount at dizzying rates.” ~ Howard Gardner

— Published April 11, 2011 — https://www.themarginalian.org/2011/04/11/7-must-read-books-on-education/ —

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Innovating for learning: How two innovators made access to books and education more inclusive

We Love Reading and First Book have both spent decades innovating the educational sector to make learning more inclusive. Image:  We Love Reading

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Stay up to date:, sdg 01: no poverty.

• There's a big funding gap that is preventing children's access to learning in many poorer countries.
• Social innovators play a key role in society by offering disruptive services in areas where traditional institutions have fallen short, including in education and learning.
• Here's how We Love Reading and First Book continue to improve access to books and educational resources, making education more inclusive for everyone.

The world has set ambitious education goals to be achieved by 2030. However, a 2023 report by UNESCO estimates a significant funding gap to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 - ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all.

This funding gap is preventing children in many poorer countries from receiving their right to education. Social innovators, who prioritize purpose over profits in their organizations, play a crucial role in society by offering new approaches and disruptive services in situations where traditional institutions and markets have failed to provide solutions. Education is one of them.

Social innovators, often characterized by the principles of purpose before profits in their organizations, play an essential role in society by offering new approaches and disruptive services in situations where traditional institutions and markets have come up short.

Cultural norms, gender, class and the value societies place on education are some barriers to accessing books and education. Rana Dajani, Founder and Director of We Love Reading, and Kyle Zimmer, President, CEO, and Co-Founder of First Book, have spent decades innovating the educational sector to make learning more inclusive.

Through the power of books and storytelling, Dajani and Zimmer have sought to overcome educational barriers that marginalized communities face. We Love Reading and First Book have implemented both digital and physical solutions, and they offer insight into how digital and physical access to books and educational resources can complement each other to improve learning.

Here's how Dajani, of We Love Reading, and Zimmer, from First Book, have worked towards making education more inclusive.

Rana Dajani, Founder and Director, We Love Reading

We Love Reading , founded by Dajani in 2010, aims to foster a love of learning and reading by connecting it to pleasure and fun.

Since its founding, the organization has expanded to more than 60 countries around the world, trained 8,000 women who have started ‘reading aloud’ activities in a diverse range of communities – rural and urban, as well as refugee camps.

When children and adults fall in love with reading, they become lifelong readers and therefore lifelong learners.

—Rana Dajani, Founder and Director, We Love Reading

Dajani, the recipient of the 2022 Social Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship , underscores the importance of native language and local culture in promoting a love of reading and learning among children.

She advocates for books that are not only in the children's native language but also reflect their local culture. This approach allows children to connect with the stories, fostering a sense of pride and confidence.

By involving the local community, Dajani says we can tailor education programmes to the unique needs of the children and families, making learning more accessible and engaging.

Dajani criticizes the top-down approach of many international organizations, which often overlooks the specific challenges and needs of the local community. In contrast, We Love Reading provides communities with a supportive framework to establish their own educational and reading programmes.

Access to digital educational resources is increasing, but it's crucial to acknowledge that not all children in marginalized communities have access to the internet or digital resources.

We Love Reading prioritizes physical access to books to encourage reading from a young age. Its philosophy is that children don't need an abundance of books as they often find joy in revisiting stories. Once the love of reading has been ignited, children can explore digital resources if they are available and accessible.

We Love Reading uses digital platforms to train adults and youth to become WLR ambassadors who can then read aloud to children . This training is a low-tech solution that is widely accessible.

Kyle Zimmer, Co-Founder, President and CEO, First Book

Kyle Zimmer, the recipient of the 2006 Social Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship , co-founded First Book over three decades ago to remove barriers to education for the estimated 27 million US children growing up in marginalized communities.

I co-founded First Book to address a market failure – that millions of children in low-income communities didn't have access to books. This market failure leads to educational disparities that perpetuate lifelong inequities.

—Kyle Zimmer, Co-Founder, President and CEO, First Book

Empowered by a network of 575,000-plus individual educators, practitioners and volunteers, First Book has addressed a market failure in ways that conventional businesses and charities haven't: it aggregated previously fragmented groups of teachers, practitioners, and volunteers serving kids in need into a new market.

First Book uses insights from educators and data gathered through the organization's research arm to understand the content its members need. This enables First Book to purchase books from publishers in large volumes on a non-returnable basis and negotiate the lowest prices.

Additionally, First Book manages all of the warehousing, shipping and marketing. This approach drives down the cost of books while increasing the relevance of books and educational products to better meet the needs of children in under-resourced communities.

A small margin built into prices on the First Book Marketplace contributes to the organization's self-sustainability and has allowed it to grow into the largest specialty buyer for most of the major children's publishers in the US.

It provides children living in poverty with new books and resources, enabling educators to select what they need for the kids they serve, and creating a new market for publishers, content producers, and others.

Digital and physical books and educational resources complement each other. Sharing physical books with babies and young children can provide important bonding time with parents and caregivers. It also enables young children to learn how to interact with books.

The latest figures show that 56% of 8-12-year-olds across 29 countries are involved in at least one of the world's major cyber-risks: cyberbullying, video-game addiction, online sexual behaviour or meeting with strangers encountered on the web.

Using the Forum's platform to accelerate its work globally, #DQEveryChild , an initiative to increase the digital intelligence quotient (DQ) of children aged 8-12, has reduced cyber-risk exposure by 15%.

In March 2019, the DQ Global Standards Report 2019 was launched – the first attempt to define a global standard for digital literacy, skills and readiness across the education and technology sectors.

Our System Initiative on Shaping the Future of Media, Information and Entertainment has brought together key stakeholders to ensure better digital intelligence for children worldwide. Find our more about DQ Citizenship in our Impact Story .

However, it's not only about the format but the content. In our diverse world, all children, from the earliest ages, need access to diverse books to see themselves and learn about others. Diverse books help children develop understanding and empathy and impact reading engagement.

In 2023, First Book Research & Insights released the results of a six-month study involving nearly 450 classrooms to explore diverse books' impact on student reading. The study revealed that adding diverse books to classroom libraries increased collective student reading time by four hours per week, resulting in reading scores that were three percentage points higher than the national annual expected averages.

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Ashlie Swicker

Ashlie (she/her) is an educator, librarian, and writer. She is committed to diversifying the reading lives of her students and supporting fat acceptance as it intersects with other women’s issues. She's also perpetually striving to learn more about how she can use her many privileges to support marginalized groups. Interests include learning how to roller skate with her local roller derby team, buying more books than she'll ever read, hiking with her husband and sons, and making lists to avoid real work. You can find her on Instagram (@ashlieelizabeth), Twitter (@mygirlsimple) or at her website, www.ashlieswicker.com.

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May is an important month for teachers. Standardized testing kicks in gear, decisions are being made about next year’s budget, and, of course, Teacher Appreciation Week. After ten years in the classroom, I’ve discovered that the best Teacher Appreciation gifts tend to be free- handwritten notes from students or words of encouragement from veteran teachers.

My gift to you is this roundup of advice from voices in every academic discipline, as well as a heavy sprinkling of books about fictional teachers. There are some classics, some hot new titles, and a few books that might push you out of your comfort zone. Whether you are trying to up your game in a certain subject, study theory about different learning styles, or simply read a story about someone else surviving the classroom for a change, you’ll find something in this list of 100 must-read books for and about teachers.

2. Interactive Writing by Trisha Callella-Jones and Kimberly Jordano Focuses on the concept of “sharing the pen” with young students to build confidence and engagement.

3. Igniting A Passion for Reading: Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers by Stephen L. Layne A case for going beyond basic instruction and explicitly teaching why a love of reading can be so beneficial.

4. Reading Picture Books With Children: How to Shake Up Storytime and Get Kids Talking About What They See by Megan Dowd Lambert- Published in association with The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, this book guides adults in sharing picture books to make story time an interactive and exciting experience.

5. The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller A sixth-grade teacher shares her strategies for getting students to “become readers” and chose literature for enjoyment.

6. How to Get Your Child to Love Reading   by Esme Raji Codell Absolutely chock full of book lists by subject and celebrations of reading to spark interest. My copy is thick with post its.

7. Native Writers: Voices of Power by Kim Sigafus and Lyle Ernst Crucial for teachers trying to represent the full scale of humanity in their classroom libraries, this book profiles ten Native authors.

8. Talking, Drawing, Writing: Lessons for Our Youngest Writers by Martha Horn and Mary Ellen Giacobbe- I was first introduced to this book while teaching kindergarteners in the Writing Workshop model, and the emphasis on explicitly teaching oral storytelling as a precursor to writing strong narratives has stuck with me even as I’ve moved on to teach older students.

9. Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst Scripts, booklists, and actionable plans to help children reach true comprehension of text in an authentic way.

10. 7 Keys to Comprehension: How to Help Your Kids Read It and Get It! By Susan Zimmermann and Chryse Hutchins Comprehension strategies for parents and teachers, including booklists for each “key.” Great for people who work with younger readers. I’ve highlighted this book to high heaven.

11. Reading With Meaning: Teaching Comprehension in the Primary Grades by Debbie Miller Another comprehension text with full color work samples and classroom anecdotes.

12. Disrupting Thinking: How Why We Read Matters by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst Tackles the ongoing problem of student engagement with text and directs teachers to leave conversations in the hands of students.

13. Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in Elementary and Middle School by Georgia Heard and Naomi Shihab Nye The case for poetry as a gateway to strong writing across all disciplines, with examples and lesson plans that use a workshop model.

14. Number Talk s  by Sherry Parrish The concept of Number Talks has children mentally solving a problem and then talking through their reasoning in a large group setting. This book lays out the how-tos for this effective practice.

15. Classroom Discussions: Seeing Math Discourse in Action by Nancy Canavan Anderson, Suzanne H. Chapin, and Cathy O’Connor An extension of the Number Talks introduction that includes DVDs with several video clips to help develop the concept.

16. Doing Math in Morning Meeting: 150 Quick Activities That Connect to Your Curriculum by Andy Dousis and Margaret Berry Wilson In an age where teachers are constantly scrambling for time to fit everything in, these activities bring in valuable mathematical practice in seamless, fun ways.

17. Doing Science in Morning Meeting: 150 Quick Activities that Connect to Your Curriculum   by Lara Webb and Margaret Wilson Same as above- time saver that enriches.

18. Good Questions for Math Teaching, Grades 5-8: Why Ask Them and What To Ask by Lainie Schuster and Nancy Canavan Anderson Moving beyond the basic “how do you know?” this book includes questions like “Does it make sense to define a day by 24 hours? Would you have picked another number?” and sets up classroom discussions to develop both mathematical and critical thinking skills.

19. Table Talk Math: A Practical Guide for Bringing Math into Everyday Conversations by John Stevens Designed for parents but valuable for teachers, this book encourages conversations that develop number sense and mathematical reasoning in real-world, real-time situations.

20. But Why Does It Work? Mathematical Argument in the Elementary Classroom by Susan Jo Russell, Deborah Schifter, Virginia Bastable, Traci Higgins, Reva Kasman Lessons for teaching mathematical argument and developing a classroom culture that helps students gain confidence in their own mathematical voice.

22. An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz America’s origin story from another perspective.

23. American Indians: Stereotypes and Realities by Devon A. Mihesuah Shatters misconceptions about American Indians- teachers should use this text to be sure they’re conveying true and respectful representations.

24. Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years by Bill Bigelow and Bob Peterson It’s crucial for teachers to end the rosy Columbus story that persists hundreds of years after his murderous truth is widely known.

25. Teaching Science with Trade Books by Christine Anne Royce, Emily Morgan, Karen Ansberry Fifty complete lessons that use high quality, interesting picture books to teach science concepts.

26. Montessori In The Classroom: A Teacher’s Account of How Children Really Learn by Paula Polk Lillard Follows one class over the course of a year, giving day-to-day accounts to reveal what really happens in a Montessori classroom.

27. The Syracuse-Referenced Curriculum Guide for Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities by Alison Ford “Serving learners from kindergarten through age 21, this field-tested curriculum is a must for professionals and parents devoted to directly preparing a student to function in the world.” -Goodreads  

28. Exceptional Students: Preparing Teachers for the 21st Century by Ronald L. Taylor and Stephen B. Richards Written for both general and special education teachers, this book aims to prepare classroom teachers to identify and meet the needs of every student and provide an inclusive environment for everyone.

29. Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development Handbook by Lynne T. Diaz-Rico Support for mainstream classroom teachers in meeting the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse students.

30. The First Six Weeks of School by Paula Denton and Roxann Kriete- This is an essential tome that even seasoned teachers revisit often, including explicit plans for rolling out a foundation of classroom routines that will set a group of students up for success.

31. Who Owns The Learning?:Preparing Students for Success in the Digital Age   by Alan November A case for using technology to help students direct their own learning.

32. The Cornerstone: Classroom Management That Makes Teaching More Effective, Efficient, and Enjoyable by Angela Powell A general classroom support guide and accompanying website, great for beginning teachers or those needing a boost.

33. Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom Ages 4-14   by Chip Wood A classic that clearly lays out developmental milestones in all areas, helping parents and teachers be sure that they are not over or underestimating the children in their lives.

34. Why Don’t Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom by Daniel T. Willingham Challenges some basic understandings around students’ learning styles and provides lots of knowledge about the brain and the best way to tap into its power.

35. Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks – Looking  past the framing of education as a gaining of marketable skills, this is an important read about teaching students to “transgress” and rail against injustices that are racial, sexual, and socioeconomic in nature. A book that will benefit anyone in a position to mold young minds. (AOC)

36. Teachers as Cultural Workers by Paulo Freire and Dale April Koike (Translator) Letters to those “who dare to teach,” reminding educators that they key to our success lies in adapting to our students, celebrating what they bring to our classroom, and exposing them to real world connections.

37. Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom by Lisa Delpit Identifying teachers as “cultural transmitters,” this work examines the idea that low performance attributed to children of color is truly the fault of deep cultural misunderstanding. A vital read for any teacher, but especially white educators who work with students of color. (AOC)

38. Educating Activist Allies: Social Justice Pedagogy with Suburban and Urban Elite by Katy Swalwell The importance of an understanding of social (in)justice is critical for our privileged students.

39. How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough A look at what really determines a successful school experience, and where teachers should be directing their focused energy.

41. Teaching With Poverty In Mind b y Eric Jensen Discusses the effects of poverty on the brain and how rich learning environments, coupled with meaningful relationships, can reverse damage and build resilience.

42. Other People’s Words: The Cycle of Low Literacy by Victoria Purcell-Gates An examination of reasons why different families have different literacy priorities, how these priorities are passed through generations, and how teachers can get rid of their literary elitism and support students and their families.

43. Why Race and Culture Matter in Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap in America’s Classrooms by Tyrone C. Howard “ Important reading for anyone who is genuinely committed to promoting educational equity and excellence for all children, this accessible book outlines the changing racial, ethnic, and cultural demographics in U.S. schools and calls for educators to pay serious attention to how race and culture play out in school settings.” -Amazon

44. Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students by Zaretta Hammond Uses neuroscience and non-judgemental language to explain why certain methods won’t help our at risk students, and suggests ways to engage. 

45. Variations on a Blue Guitar: The Lincoln Center Institute Lectures on Aesthetic Education by Maxine Greene A case for the importance of the humanities in every person’s education.

46. Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls In Schools by Monique W. Morris “ Fifteen-year-old Diamond stopped going to school the day she was expelled for lashing out at peers who constantly harassed and teased her for something everyone on the staff had missed: she was being trafficked for sex. After months on the run, she was arrested and sent to a detention center for violating a court order to attend school.” -Amazon 

47. The Language of Learning: Teaching Students Thinking, Listening, and Speaking Skills by Margaret Berry Wilson – This is one of the most impactful educational books I have ever read. It teaches students how to argue. In an age where all facts are carried around in our back pockets, the educational emphasis is shifting, and being able to reason through, question, and defend our thoughts without offense or vitriol is a skill that our students need.

48. Good Thinking: Teaching Argument, Persuasion, and Reasoning by Erik Palmer Lessons for explicitly teaching the critical skill of arguing with evidence and reasoning, angled toward older students.

49. The Way They Learn: How to Discover and Teach To Your Child’s Strengths by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias Information about different learning styles and ways to apply that information when teaching young people.

50. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck An explanation and celebration of the growth mindset- the idea that all of us have the capability to improve.

51. Growth Mindset Coach: A Teacher’s Month-to-Month Handbook for Empowering Students to Achieve by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley Practical and actionable, this handbook helps teachers lead their classes following a empowering growth mindset model.

52. Your Fantastic, Elastic Brain: Stretch It, Shape It by JoAnn Deak Ph. D. and Sarah Ackerley   A picture book that explains growth mindset to elementary students.

53. Teach Like A Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Creativity, and Transform Your Life As An Educator by Dave Burgess Encourages passion and excitement about the craft of teaching, and includes hooks and brainstorming questions to get you started.

54. See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers by Roxanna Elden Tips, checklists, anecdotes and encouragement.

55. I Wish My Teacher Knew: How One Question Can Change Everything For Our Kids by Kyle Schwartz One teacher asked her students to finish the sentence, and the resulting book guides teachers in building a classroom community based on trust and understanding.

56.   My Teacher is a Monster! by Peter Brown A paper-airplane enthusiast of a student heads to the one place he can get some peace from his shouting teacher and is horrified to find out teachers spend Saturdays at the park, too.

57. Miss Nelson is Missing by James Marshall A classic about a rowdy class who push their sweet teacher too far and wind up with the worst substitute ever.

58. Substitute Creature   Chris Gall  A sweet story about a misunderstood substitute teacher.

59. Because I Had a Teacher by Kobi Yamada and Natalie Russell  This heartwarming book is a thank you gift for great teachers everywhere. Perfect for National Teacher Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, the end of the school year, or just because.” -Amazon

61. Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook by Michael Garland A cool teacher with a magical storybook that only she can control!

62. Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! by Dr. Seuss, Jack Prelutsky, and Lane Smith   Diffendoofer School is full of interesting students and excellent teachers. When a standardized test threatens to dampen their love of learning, the entire school learns to trust their brains and rely on what they already know.

63. Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes Lilly LOVES her teacher- until he takes away her favorite (and distracting) purple plastic purse. How will their student-teacher relationship survive the angry letter she leaves for Mr. Slinger?

64. Freedom School, Yes! By Amy Littlesugar and Floyd Cooper A brave girl deals with hateful backlash when her mother offers to take in a young white teacher who has come to teach in the community.

65. Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beatty and David Roberts Iggy loves to build, but his second grade teacher has a personal vendetta against all forms of architecture, until Iggy’s skills save the day.

66.  Don’t Say Ain’t by Irene Smalls This story follows a young girl named Dana who struggles to balance her home language and school language when she attends a white school. Set in 1957, the message is still relevant today.

67. My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville A classic about a young girl who catches her substitute teacher peeling off his face.

68. Jamaica and the Substitute Teacher by Juanita Hall and Anne Sibley O’Brien A story about a substitute teacher who quickly wins her students’ hearts.

69. Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery Reading about Anne’s ups and downs in her first year of teaching has always been comforting to me after a long day in the classroom.

70. Matilda by Roald Dahl Miss. Honey is the teacher all of us wish we could be.

71. Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kauffman A high school epistolary novel about an idealistic teacher clashing with bureaucratic administration.

72. Gabi, A Girl In Pieces by Isabel Quintero Ms. Abernard and her amazing zine project are only one terrific part of this masterpiece.

73. My Great Aunt Arizona by Gloria Houston and Susan Condie Lamb Arizona dreams of seeing the world, but ends up teaching for years in a one-room schoolhouse, achieving her goals through the lives of the students she inspires.

74. Lailah’s Lunchbox by Reem Faruqi and Lea Lyon A story about a young girl fasting during Ramadan and her relationship with her teacher and the school librarian as she shares her culture with her class.

75. My Teacher’s Secret Life by Stephen Krensky A sweet book about the age old question: what do teachers do when they’re not at school?

76. A Letter to my Teacher by Deborah Hopkinson This darling book written in the form of a thank you note from a student to a teacher celebrates the difference a good teacher can make.

77. My Teacher by James Ransome A lovely look at an urban classroom run by a teacher who was a student there herself.

78. Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea A rookie teacher and seven kids entering fifth grade make a big impression on each other.

79. The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen Year Old Boy With Autism by Naoki Higashida, translated by KA Yoshida and David Mitchell A memoir by a non-verbal teenage boy, eloquently explaining how he relates to the world. .

81. I Am A Pencil: A Teacher, His Kids, and Their World of Stories by Sam Swope A professional children’s author spends three years with a third grade class, teaching them to write poems and stories.

82. Ms. Moffett’s First Year: Becoming A Teacher in America by Abby Goodnough Expanded from a series of articles in the New York Times, this book follows a career-changer through her first year in a first grade classroom.

83. Why Do Only White People Get Abducted By Aliens?: Teaching Lessons from the Bronx by Ilana Garon Not a “hero teacher” memoir.

84. Bridge to Brilliance: How One Principal in a Tough Community is Inspiring the World by Nadia Lopez The story of the principal who rocketed to fame after her student named her as the person who most inspired him on the website Humans of New York.

85. The Power of Their Ideas: Lessons From America From a Small School in Harlem by Deborah Meier A look at radical school reform in an inner city setting.

86. See You When We Get There: Teaching for Change in Urban Schools   by Gregory Michie This book follows five young teachers of color as they share classroom experiences and anecdotes with analysis provided.

87. Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity by Beverly Daniel Tatum  “ Here, Tatum asserts that we do not know how to talk about our racial differences. Using real-life examples and research, she presents evidence that straight talk about our racial identities is essential if we are serious about facilitating communication across racial and ethnic divides.” -Goodreads

88. The Skin We Speak by Lisa Delpit A look into different variations of the English language, emphasizing the importance of developing language by first respecting students’ existing speech patterns. (AOC)

89. Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academic by Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs , Yolanda Flores Niemann , Carmen G. Gonzalez & Angela P. Harris  “Through personal narratives and qualitative empirical studies, more than 40 authors expose the daunting challenges faced by academic women of color as they navigate the often hostile terrain of higher education, including hiring, promotion, tenure, and relations with students, colleagues, and administrators.” -Goodreads 

90. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown While not specifically for teachers, this powerful book will help teachers drop their armor and connect in their classrooms.

91. Unshakeable: 20 Ways To Enjoy Teaching Everyday…No Matter What   by Angela Watson 20 actionable tips to help teachers thrive at work without making any life-altering changes.

92. The Happy Teacher Habits: 11 Habits of the Happiest, Most Effective Teachers on Earth by Michael Linsin Equally valuable for new teachers or veterans trying to avoid burnout, this book draws information from all over the professional world to help teachers implement healthy habits in their work lives.

93. Lift Off: From the Classroom to the Stars by Donovan Livingston This is a transcription of the Harvard Graduate School of Education convocation speech that went viral in 2015, called inspiring and powerful by the likes of Justin Timberlake and Hillary Rodham Clinton.  

94.  Start Where You Are, But Don’t Stay There: Understanding Diversity, Opportunity Gaps, and Teaching in Today’s Classrooms  by H. Richard Milner IV A look at the mindsets and best practices of teachers who are able to acknowledge and plan for cultural differences in their classrooms. 

95. Teacher Life: A Snarky Chalkboard Coloring Book by Papeterie Bleu The adult coloring book craze extends to exhausted, sarcastic teachers.

96. Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get on the Mat, Love Your Body   by Jessamyn Stanley  Teachers of every shape and size need some serious relaxation, and Every Body Yoga is a great starting point.

97. A Moment for Teachers: Self-Care for Busy Teachers   by Alice Langholt Each page is one exercise that can take place in 30 seconds, relieving tension and bringing peace.

98. The Inspired Teacher: Zen Advice for the Happy Teacher by Donna Quesada A teacher memoir about fighting burnout with an emphasis on Eastern teaching.

99. Mindfulness for Teachers: Simple Skills for Peace and Productivity in the Classroom by Patricia A. Jennings A guide for helping teachers monitor and adjust the emotional reactivity of their classroom.  

100. Teach, Breathe, Learn: Mindfulness in and out of the Classroom by Meena Srinivasan This three-part work explores mindfulness in the lives of adults,bringing mindfulness into professional lives, and explicitly teaching these skills to students. 

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For as long as there have been teachers and students, authors have written books about education and teaching. Passing on the knowledge learned by previous generations has helped society to progress, and books about education and teaching help teachers learn how to teach more effectively. From the latest teaching techniques to strategies for dealing with problem students, books about education and teaching help to equip teachers with the skills necessary to prepare each class of students for the next phase of their lives.

However, not all books about education and teaching concentrate on teachers. Some books are aimed at parents and focus on preparing young students for classroom success. Other books focus on large national trends, helping to explain recent developments or advocating for a change to national teaching policies. Whether you’re a teacher trying to improve your skills or a concerned parent trying to help a student, books about education and teaching can help you learn more.

#1 – The First Days of School

Harry k wong and rosemary t. wong.

This general resource book for teachers offers something new to educators of all age groups and experience levels, including effective tips for classroom management and lesson planning. Teachers will also learn how to remain professional throughout the school year and maintain approachability for students in need of extra help.

#2 – How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk

Adele faber and elaine mazlish.

This book, like many books about education and teaching, focuses on helping adults learn how to interact positively with children. Readers will learn new ideas on a number of important subjects, including how to end conflicts peacefully and how to express emotions without causing duress to the child.

#3 – Dumbing Us Down

John taylor gatto.

As with other books about education and teaching,  Dumbing Us Down  offers a viewpoint from an experienced teacher. After teaching in New York City’s public school system for over 30 years, John Taylor Gatto published his radical opinion on the country’s compulsory education system. In his opinion, the current system does little to actually educate students and instead teaches them how to simply obey authority without critical thought.

#4 – Make it Stick

Peter c. brown, henry l. roediger iii and mark a. mcdaniel.

Make it Stick  joins other books about education and teaching in criticizing simple memorization and rote learning as ineffective techniques for the modern student. Instead, students should learn how to retrieve information through a variety of useful techniques, including self-quizzes, reflecting on new material, mnemonic devices and more.

#5 – Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire

Rafe esquith.

After spending years teaching in a California school surrounded by violence and gangs, Rafe Esquith has learned how to help students excel despite their challenges. In this book, Esquith shares some of the methods that have helped him teach algebra and Shakespeare to fifth-graders. While reading this and other biographical books about education and teaching, teachers can find useful teaching techniques from the author’s personal experiences.

#6 – Teaching with Love and Logic

Jim fay and david funk.

Classroom problems have inspired many books about education and teaching, and this book promises to help teachers learn how to handle situations that aren’t always covered in routine teacher training. The book explains simple concepts, such as how to encourage children to recognize the consequences of their actions. Teachers can also learn how to create a classroom of respect and empathy for all of their students.

#7 – In Defense of a Liberal Education

Fareed zakaria.

According to the author of this book, liberal arts degrees, such as art history, are declining in popularity. Fareed Zakaria argues that the value of these degrees is being overlooked in today’s job market. Liberal arts degrees can help people learn how to engage in discourse, write effectively and think independently.

#8 – Why Don’t Students Like School?

Daniel t. willingham.

Teaching students who dislike school is a challenge for any teacher. With the help of this book about teaching and learning, teachers can discover how establishing routines and context can help students connect with classroom material. The author also argues that while students do have different intelligence levels, intelligence is a skill that can be improved with work.

#9 – The First-Year Teacher’s Survival Guide

Julia g. thompson.

Designed for new teachers, this guidebook about education and learning is packed with resources to help teachers deal with a number of topics, including parents who disagree with homework assignments and changes in testing standards. The book includes worksheets and checklists to help teachers better organize themselves.

#10 – What the Best College Teachers Do

In order to discover the qualities of teachers that students remember years after graduation, Ken Bain used a 15-year study that analyzed almost 100 teachers and their teaching styles. He concludes that memorable teachers make an impact because of what they know instead of how they teach. Unlike the authors of many books about education and teaching, who advocate for particular teaching styles, Bain argues that expert knowledge makes a college teacher memorable.

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State education commissioner rules ousted books can stay in Clyde-Savannah school library

• April 30, 2024 5:17 AM / Updated: April 30, 2024 5:24 AM

New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa has rejected an appeal to remove certain books from Clyde-Savannah Junior-Senior High School’s library, affirming the local school board’s decision to keep them.

According to the Finger Lakes Times, the appeal, led by Reverend Jacob Marchitell and supported by Wayne County Moms for Liberty, challenged the inclusion of five books they claimed contained inappropriate content for students.

Rosa’s nine-page decision emphasized that removal of books based solely on disagreement with their ideas is not permissible under school policy.

The books in question, including titles like “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson and “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover, were reviewed by a school committee which recommended they remain available in the library, categorizing some as young adult or adult content.

This recommendation was initially overturned by the board under external pressure but was reinstated before the latest appeal.

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FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected] .

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Beloved Bunny’s Death Shows How Libraries Help Parents

Libraries can work hand-in-hand with parents to serve as places we turn to when we are at a loss for words during life’s most challenging moments. .

Ms . Classroom wants to hear from educators and students being impacted by legislation attacking public education, higher education, gender, race and sexuality studies, activism and social justice in education, and diversity, equity and inclusion programs  for our series, ‘ Banned! Voices from the Classroom .’ Submit pitches and/or op-eds and reflections (between 500-800 words) to  Ms . contributing editor Aviva Dove-Viebahn at  [email protected] . Posts will be accepted on a rolling basis.

Libraries across the country are facing censorship issues , angry protests and laws limiting their ability to fulfill their missions, including in my home state of Kentucky . I visited my local library to talk to librarians about the debates surrounding them and their books as indoctrinators of children at the expense of parents’ rights.

Critics of libraries have it wrong. Libraries aren’t threatening parents’ rights. They are protecting them . The death of a beloved library bunny can tell us how, rather than forcing children to think a certain way, libraries help us find our words in life’s most challenging moments. 

This is when I learned about Lily. 

How Librarians Prepared Children for Lily’s Death

Lily the bunny sat in a hutch just to the right of the youth section’s circulation desk and near the door to the storytime room, so children had plenty of opportunities to get to know her.

A few weeks before I started talking with my local librarians, Lily died. Even when dealing with their own sadness, the librarians acted promptly to make sure they were on the same page and had the right words to help parents support their children in the wake of Lily’s death.

They met and considered carefully what they would say. Did Lily “go to a farm”? No. It did not feel right to lie to children. Did Lily die? No. It also did not feel right to introduce children to death if parents wanted to be in control of that conversation.  The librarians settled on the idea that “Lily had retired.” They prepared a resource page to hand to parents with lists of children’s books that talked about grief and death, along with websites that parents could consult if they chose to do so.

Their approach was to do everything they could to prepare for the inevitability that children would notice Lily was gone, while also giving parents total control over any conversations about death.

“That way, it’s up to each parent, if they want to have that conversation about death with their kids or not,” one librarian told me. “Telling people that she retired … that has been hard enough, I don’t want to tell hundreds of kids and have that conversation with every single kid … I want that to be their guardians’ conversation.”

Their approach was to do everything they could to prepare for the inevitability that children would notice Lily was gone while also giving parents total control over any conversations about death.

The previous librarian continued, “What you don’t see is all the behind-the-scenes work of how we had that conversation about what to do about the rabbit. … Parents don’t know that we really did think about it, and like tossed around a lot of options of wording before we came up with that. But we did. … I wish people operated more on the assumption of the library is trying its best.”

Libraries: More Than Just Books

At a time when libraries have been in the news as threats to parental rights and as sources of inappropriate knowledge , I was struck by what Lily’s story could teach us about a library’s efforts to defend those very rights and the role that libraries play in our communities as places we turn to when we are at a loss for words during life’s most challenging moments.  Lily the bunny’s passing was not the only time my librarians had to deal with loss and grief. One librarian told me of a father who, immediately after his wife’s death, drove straight to the library with his two children because he did not know what else to do. “He said, ‘I really need you to help me.’ And I don’t even remember how I navigated that, but somehow, we did.”

This same librarian recalled when a child passed away who was a regular at the storytime she led every week. She attended this child’s funeral. When it was time for the closing hymn, she recollected, “They sang the goodbye song from storytime. There was the song that we sang every storytime at the end—that was the goodbye song. Every storytime we did the same one. Those kids got up there, and they started singing the goodbye song from storytime. And I lost it. I just wept.”

Helping parents and children find their words during moments of loss and grief is just one example of, to use one librarian’s phrase, “life critical services” that librarians and libraries provide. 

Books, and their stewards, equip us with the words we lack; they show us there is a better tomorrow on the other side of today’s tragedy.

Thinking back on my childhood, I do not remember a lot of books, but I do remember one: My parents used to read me  Runaway Bunny , which shows children how far a parent will go to bring them home safely.

Bunnies, in fact, have long been teaching children life lessons about growing up, love, and, of course, loss.

• Little Nutbrown Hare in  Guess How Much I Love You —a book I have read to my children probably a thousand times—teaches children the depth of a parent’s love. 
• Peter Rabbit  shows children that parents are unwavering in their love, no matter how naughty they may be. 
• The Velveteen Rabbit , through the story of a boy, sickness, and his stuffed bunny, reminds us that we are all made real through the love of others.

The world’s problems do not go away if we simply choose not to face them. Hard conversations become harder later if we choose to avoid them. And no one would fault a parent for wanting to shield a child from problems and be the person to whom their children turn when they have tough questions. What’s being misunderstood at the moment is that librarians want this for parents and children, too.  

Even Lily, the beloved library pet, continues, in death, to empower parents and their children to find their words.

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How NH Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut used his office in the culture war

In January 2023, New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut convened a private meeting in Concord to “discuss explicit materials in school libraries.” The invitation — sent to about a dozen school librarians, several parent activists and one Republican state lawmaker — said the commissioner was “looking forward to meeting with everyone for his/her input and having open and respectful dialogue.”

Stephanie Charlefour traveled about an hour from her home in southwestern New Hampshire to attend. With book bans sweeping across the country, the Westmoreland School librarian hoped the meeting would be a chance to offer context on how she and her colleagues deal with controversial titles.

“We have a core belief that no matter our personal preferences, no matter our personal beliefs, that every reader has the right to have access to books that fit them at their time of need,” Charlefour told NHPR. “And that includes teens, and that includes kids.”

But what happened that day felt more like an attack, Charlefour said.

Edelblut handed out packets of paper — stamped “confidential” — that included passages from New Hampshire’s obscenity laws and excerpts from frequently banned books, including “Gender Queer” and “Beyond Magenta: Transgender teens speak out.” The commissioner began reading controversial passages from those books aloud to the group.

At one point, Edelblut asked why he — as the state’s top education official — couldn’t decide which books are inappropriate for school libraries. And while he assured the librarians that they weren’t in danger of legal repercussions, he suggested he could enlist the help of state attorneys to remove books he deemed offensive.

“He had talked about taking those [books] over to the attorney general, to take them to court, to have them removed from every shelf in the state of New Hampshire,” according to Charlefour and another librarian who attended the meeting. (The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office declined to comment on whether Edelblut followed through on this, citing the attorney-client relationship between the office and state agencies.)

One participant, Republican Rep. John Sellers, of Bristol, says he thought the meeting’s goal was to start a working group on potential book restrictions, but the librarians wouldn’t entertain any suggestions. Betsy Harrington, of Deering, said the discussion was meant for parents like herself to feel “heard.” She has campaigned to remove books with sexual content, sometimes carrying a sign that reads “GET PORN OUT OF SCHOOLS!” Harrington said Edelblut is one of the few allies she’s found in her efforts to challenge library materials.

“I think that I’m a typical mom who would like to see an array of different things available,” Harrington said. “But I don’t want it to be grossly sexually explicit.”

The meeting Edelblut organized was a microcosm of the education culture wars playing out across the country. It was also one in a string of attempts by Edelblut to control what students are exposed to in local public schools.

New Hampshire’s education commissioner doesn’t have the power to restrict which books go on library shelves or which diversity initiatives schools implement. Those issues are largely decided by locally elected school board members.

But through interviews with nearly 40 educators, parents and political activists — and hundreds of pages of public records — New Hampshire Public Radio and APM Reports have found that Edelblut has leveraged his oversight powers to elevate grievances against the public education system and, at times, individual educators.

He’s challenged superintendents on whether certain books depicting LGBTQ protagonists, sex and sexual abuse are harming the mental health of New Hampshire’s students. And he has repeatedly directed the state’s teacher misconduct investigator — the same official responsible for looking into allegations of abuse or discrimination — to review complaints about school materials.

In recent years, Edelblut has also cautioned one superintendent against using “Indigenous People’s Day” instead of “Columbus Day” on school calendars. Another educator, who is transgender, says the commissioner’s criticism of how they discussed LGBTQ issues in class was the final straw that prompted them to leave teaching for good .

The commissioner declined to be interviewed for this story and did not respond to a detailed list of questions about the incidents NHPR documented in our reporting. An education department spokesperson instead offered a brief statement.

“Like all state agencies, the New Hampshire Department of Education often receives concerns from constituents,” the spokesperson wrote. “The Department, including Commissioner Frank Edelblut, takes all constituent concerns seriously and works to respond to their inquiries. We are committed to ensuring the safety of children and work diligently with our partners to address any and all concerns swiftly and with fairness to all involved.”

After this story published, Edelblut published an op-ed on the state education department website where he wrote, in part: 

“When I assumed this role in 2017, I committed to being 100% focused on the children. Thank God someone is looking out for the children.”

READ MORE: A trans teacher asked students about pronouns. Then the education commissioner found out.

Edelbut’s willingness to field complaints has made him a champion among those who say public schools are ignoring concerns about classroom content and policies that conflict with their beliefs. And given New Hampshire’s expansion of school choice, dissatisfied families can more easily withdraw their kids from those schools and go elsewhere.

“The biggest complaint from parents is that the school isn’t responsive,” says Drew Cline, who chairs the New Hampshire State Board of Education and runs a prominent libertarian think tank . “When you have a commissioner of education trying to make the schools more responsive, he is trying to fix what parents are complaining about so parents don’t leave.”

But some who’ve been on the receiving end of Edelblut’s inquiries say he is intimidating educators and undermining efforts to make public schools welcoming to everyone.

“In public ed, you are exposed to people from all walks of life, and people with different faiths and people with different beliefs,” says Bedford Superintendent Mike Fournier, who runs a district of more than 4,000 students. “You can either choose to take your value system and try and force that on other people, or you can decide that there are some values that we all share together, and use that as your foundation.”

‘This is a nonpartisan position’

Edelblut was tapped to lead the state education department in 2017 by his former political rival, Gov. Chris Sununu, who narrowly beat him in a Republican gubernatorial primary a few months before. The choice provoked immediate uproar among Democrats and teachers unions, who took issue with Edelblut’s political ideology and his lack of experience working in or with public schools.

As a candidate for governor in 2016, Edelblut made a name for himself as a political outsider and a favorite of social conservatives . He advocated for what he called “lowercase 'libertarian' issues of low taxes, limited government, local control of schools, personal responsibility.” His resume also includes a stint as state representative, eighteen years as founder and CEO of an international auditing firm and at least seven years on the board that raised money for Patrick Henry College, a conservative Christian college in Virginia. All seven of his children were homeschooled .

At his confirmation hearing, Edelblut pledged to keep politics out of the job .

“This is a nonpartisan position,” he said. “This is about making sure that our kids get the education that they deserve. And that will be my one hundred percent focus.”

But in the last seven years, he’s kept close ties to conservative causes in New Hampshire and beyond, partnering with organizations like PragerU and 1776 Unites on material for local students. He’s been a headliner for Republican and libertarian groups in his official capacity as education commissioner. At an October 2021 forum hosted by a group that fought against COVID-19 mitigation measures, Edelblut encouraged parents to push back against local district policies on those issues. The governor later said it was “inappropriate” for the commissioner to attend in his official capacity, “given this fringe group’s history and support of anti-government actions.”

Supporters and critics alike describe Edelblut as a populist who has responded to growing disillusionment with public institutions, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. He’s said he views parents as customers of the state’s education system, and it’s his duty to ensure they’re satisfied.

Terese Bastarache, a staunch critic of the Sununu administration, said she and other activists talk to Edelblut regularly. Bastarache rose to prominence during the pandemic for her protests around COVID-19 vaccines and later founded We The People NH , a group of “concerned and fed up Patriots” that has protested against a wide range of issues, including certain library books and drag queen story hours. While Bastarache wishes Edelblut would take more action to restrict books and other material, she said he has encouraged her to organize parents around those concerns.

“He actually in conversation said: ’I really want to fight this fight for the parents. And I just need there to be more attention brought to it so that when I go to fight the fight, I’ll have some more support,’” Bastarache told NHPR.

Edelblut also hasn’t shied away from fights over education policy at the State House. In 2021, he supported a new law that banned schools from teaching that anyone is “inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.” It mirrored policies passed in Republican-led states across the country, as well as an “Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping” issued by former President Donald Trump. In an op-ed, Edelblut framed the law as a way to “ensure that our students learn about the evils of racism without teaching them to be racists.”

Critics, including local teachers unions and the ACLU of New Hampshire, are suing the state over the law. They say it has a chilling effect, in part because it’s so vague that teachers don’t know what will get them in trouble.

While educators who run afoul of the law could lose their teaching credentials, none have faced formal sanctions for violating it. But the statute has led to a wave of complaints from Edelblut and others concerned about classroom content and library books. A few months after the law went into effect, a local Moms For Liberty chapter offered “$500 for the person that first successfully catches a public school teacher breaking this law.”

Investigating abuse, misconduct — and books

As Edeblut has heightened the state’s scrutiny over classroom content, he also directed the department’s misconduct investigator to pursue specific complaints against educators.

That investigator, Richard Farrell, spent 30 years with the New Hampshire State Police before moving to the education department. He’s part of the team that investigates serious allegations related to the educator code of conduct, including physical and sexual abuse of students. School officials say Farrell, who also worked briefly as a high school English teacher, is cordial and honest — but when they hear from him, they know it’s not good news.

Under Edelblut’s tenure and sometimes at his behest, Farrell has contacted superintendents about everything from Beyoncé and Childish Gambino music videos shown in a high school social studies class , to a middle school poster that said “Read Banned Books,” to a permission slip that mentioned learning about "activism” during a field trip about the Civil Rights Movement.

It’s not clear whether the education department triages the complaints that come to Farrell, or whether he contacts schools about each complaint he receives, regardless of whether it falls within his jurisdiction. Farrell has acknowledged that parents — and at times, school districts — “weaponize the code of conduct.”

“We want to stay within the bounds of the code, and weaponizing it is really a bad idea,” he said in a legislative committee hearing in 2023.

At the time, Farrell was offering testimony on a bill that would have expanded the education department’s investigative powers, including the right to subpoena educators. Department officials have encouraged it, saying it would be used as a “last resort” when dealing with uncooperative school districts. Lawmakers have twice rejected the idea.

Since 2022, NHPR has asked the state education department for more clarity on how it fields and pursues complaints about curriculum, books and potential teacher misconduct. The department said it could not give NHPR records related to any complaint that led to a formal investigation but could supply records related to complaints that fell short of that threshold. So far, the department has only fulfilled a portion of those requests.

NHPR contacted Farrell to arrange an interview, but an education department spokesperson later declined the request and said they could answer questions in writing. The department did not respond to those specific questions about how it decides which complaints merit Farrell’s attention and how Edelblut, Farrell and others in the department handle outreach to school districts.

Some school administrators argue the department’s investigations into culture war grievances distracts them from dealing with racism against students of color.

For example, in 2021, Farrell investigated complaints about a middle school social studies teacher in Weare who was using excerpts of “ Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You ,” a book by the authors Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds, in her lessons about slavery.

Jacqueline Coe, the district superintendent, fielded Farrell’s inquiries. After receiving the complaint, Coe read the book and talked to the teacher about how it fit into the broader lesson plan. She decided the excerpt provoked an important conversation and aligned with state standards.

The education department never opened a formal investigation into the social studies teacher, but Edelblut continued to highlight concerns about the book in comments to the state board of education and other public forums. He even cited the book in an op-ed as an example of material “that parents have identified as conflicting with their values.”

Coe said the state scrutiny “freaked out” the teacher — and some of her colleagues.

“We had our kindergarten teachers not want to talk about Martin Luther King Day,” she said, for fear of running afoul of the education department.

Around the same time as the commissioner’s op-ed was published , Coe and other district officials were dealing with the fallout after three teenagers wrote racist graffiti in their high school bathroom, some of it targeting a Black classmate. The students were later found to have violated New Hampshire civil rights law.

Coe said she didn’t expect to hear from the education department about that incident, since it was being handled by law enforcement. But she was struck that Edelblut was criticizing a book that grappled with racism as the school was struggling to respond to that very same problem.

“We’re dealing with racial issues and trying to increase anti-discrimination, and having that culture and climate conversation in our school,” she said. “We’re like, is the message [that] we’re not supposed to be talking about slavery?”

Defining ‘developmentally appropriate’

Edelblut has also invoked state education standards regarding “developmentally appropriate” content to question schools’ book selection policies. Educators say it’s a nebulous concept to enforce, since it’s a subjective term.

But in at least two districts, Dover and Hanover , Edelblut pressed administrators about whether specific titles are available to students, and asked them to clarify how they ensure students get a “developmentally appropriate collection of instructional resources,” as those rules require.

“As you know, there is a very serious child mental health issue that we are all concerned about and working on,” the commissioner wrote in nearly identical letters sent to both districts. “Exposure to developmentally inappropriate materials has the effect of exacerbating those mental health issues that students are struggling with.”

The department’s scrutiny of Hanover stemmed from signs promoting Banned Books Week, an annual initiative coordinated by the American Library Association, displayed in the middle school library in September 2022. But it soon escalated into what Farrell, the misconduct investigator, described in an email to school officials as a “very intense inquiry.”

Dan Richards, a critic of Hanover’s equity and inclusion curriculum, raised concerns about several of the books featured on the sign and alleged in an email to a county official that the school was “pushing gay porn and pedophilic content to children.”

“I hate the idea of banning books in school libraries, but this is a case for doing so if ever there was one,” Richards wrote in that email, which Richards also forwarded to Edelblut.

He asked Edelblut if it was possible to file a complaint against the educators responsible “for a code of conduct violation,” a sanction that could result in the loss or suspension of someone’s education license. He also contacted the Hanover police and a county commissioner, alleging violations of New Hampshire’s obscenity laws, according to that email chain, which NHPR obtained through a records request to both the state and the school district.

Richards’ children previously attended Hanover schools. By the time he sent complaints to Edelblut, he had withdrawn his kids from the district and was in the process of moving to Puerto Rico. Richards told NHPR that he remained invested in the school district, even after moving away.

“I'm from there. I'm a graduate of that school system. I still have family who lives in the district, and I still maintain a home there,” he said. “I care.”

Richards said he complained directly to the school district but didn’t remember the person’s name he contacted. Hanover Superintendent Jay Badams says the first time he heard about the complaint was through an email from Farrell.

After conducting his own inquiry, Badams told the state he was confident the middle school librarian hadn’t done anything wrong. He said some of the books highlighted in the display weren’t on the library shelves but were available through an online database. Badams also acknowledged there could be room for discussion about what books were appropriate: “Maybe we need to consider content advisories on books as we do for explicit lyrics in music,” he wrote in an email to Farrell.

Badams told NHPR he took the state’s scrutiny seriously, since educators are put on notice whenever the code of conduct comes up.

“It’s like someone’s looking at your livelihood,” Badams said. “Someone’s looking at your credential and holding that credential and making a judgment call about some behavior, or something you did or didn’t do, that could determine whether or not you can continue to do your job.”

The controversy was never fully resolved. As Badams was dealing with questions about the library display, Edelblut reached out to flag that another book with sexually explicit content, the graphic novel “Flamer,” was available in the district’s online library. Badams asked Overdrive, the private company that manages the library, to limit the book to high school students. But Farrell told a colleague in the education department that this move would not “solve Frank [Edelblut]’s problem or concerns,” according to department emails. “Flamer” is no longer available in the state’s online library, but a spokesperson for Overdrive said it couldn’t comment on who asked for it to be removed. The education department did not respond when asked if anyone within the department requested the book’s removal.

Divided beliefs, divided response

As the leader of a district that serves many conservative families, Fournier, the Bedford superintendent, said he understands the importance of ensuring that public schools support families with vastly different ideologies. He and Edelblut get along, and they even attend the same church.

“I really believe that he believes he’s doing the right thing,” Fournier said.

Over the years, Edelblut has called Fournier several times to discuss concerns raised by local families. In one case, Edelblut relayed a complaint about a picture book read aloud to elementary schoolers featuring a family with two moms. Fournier said the commissioner also reached out based on rumors about the school’s policies for transgender students, which turned out not to be true. After the second instance, he asked the commissioner to back off — and Edelblut listened.

Fournier said the commissioner’s tone was never hostile. But he said his approach erodes trust and goes against New Hampshire’s ethos of local control.

“It’s just not appropriate,” Fournier said. “Because problems are best solved at the level where the problem is.”

In Exeter, Superintendent Esther Asbell said Edelblut called in fall 2023 to relay a complaint about the district’s use of “Indigenous People’s Day” instead of “Columbus Day” on the school calendar. In this case, the person who complained to the commissioner had already tried raising concerns directly with the district — but they were unsatisfied with the school’s response. Asbell said she recalls the commissioner saying, “You might want to think about what you’re going to do, because this could cause big problems for you.”

Asbell said the calendars are usually approved by the school board without much fanfare. But she eventually met with the person who complained, and agreed to name the holiday Indigenous People’s Day/Columbus Day.

“It felt unusual that the commissioner of public education would be making a phone call about a school approval calendar,” she said.

Karen Thompson, a longtime administrator at Hinsdale School District in southwestern New Hampshire, says that a few years ago some teachers asked for guidance on how to better support LGBTQ students. So she hired a local professional development coach, who is transgender, to lead a training session.

Then Edelblut called Thompson’s superintendent.

Edelblut said several school staff complained about the upcoming training, Thompson recalled. After learning about Edelblut’s call, Thompson asked the trainer to change the workshop topic and not focus on LGBTQ students.

Thompson says when she later got on the phone with Edelblut, he told her several times that he wasn’t directing her to cancel the workshop. But she says she changed the workshop because of his inquiry.

“When the commissioner was calling you about something you’re doing that you think is right, and you’re sort of being questioned about it, you’re a little on edge,” Thompson says. “We want to make sure we’re not getting on the wrong side of anything.”

Since then, the district has never provided a required staff training on the topic. Ideally, she said, the education department should provide guidance and support to districts as they try to respond to new cultural norms.

“When somebody sits in a seat of power, such as the commissioner of education, I think it is their job to respond to the ever-changing needs of our world,” she said. “I think that’s incredibly important. How will we move our kids forward if we don’t?”

This story was produced with APM Reports as part of the  Public Media Accountability Initiative , which supports investigative reporting at local media outlets around the country.

Editor's note: This story was updated to include an excerpt of an op-ed by Commissioner Frank Edelblut that the Department of Education released after this story's publication.

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How NH Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut used his office in the culture war

In January 2023, New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut convened a private meeting in Concord to “discuss explicit materials in school libraries.” The invitation — sent to about a dozen school librarians, several parent activists and one Republican state lawmaker — said the commissioner was “looking forward to meeting with everyone for his/her input and having open and respectful dialogue.”

Stephanie Charlefour traveled about an hour from her home in southwestern New Hampshire to attend. With book bans sweeping across the country, the Westmoreland School librarian hoped the meeting would be a chance to offer context on how she and her colleagues deal with controversial titles.

“We have a core belief that no matter our personal preferences, no matter our personal beliefs, that every reader has the right to have access to books that fit them at their time of need,” Charlefour told NHPR. “And that includes teens, and that includes kids.”

But what happened that day felt more like an attack, Charlefour said.

Edelblut handed out packets of paper — stamped “confidential” — that included passages from New Hampshire’s obscenity laws and excerpts from frequently banned books, including “Gender Queer” and “Beyond Magenta: Transgender teens speak out.” The commissioner began reading controversial passages from those books aloud to the group.

At one point, Edelblut asked why he — as the state’s top education official — couldn’t decide which books are inappropriate for school libraries. And while he assured the librarians that they weren’t in danger of legal repercussions, he suggested he could enlist the help of state attorneys to remove books he deemed offensive.

“He had talked about taking those [books] over to the attorney general, to take them to court, to have them removed from every shelf in the state of New Hampshire,” according to Charlefour and another librarian who attended the meeting. (The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office declined to comment on whether Edelblut followed through on this, citing the attorney-client relationship between the office and state agencies.)

One participant, Republican Rep. John Sellers, of Bristol, says he thought the meeting’s goal was to start a working group on potential book restrictions, but the librarians wouldn’t entertain any suggestions. Betsy Harrington, of Deering, said the discussion was meant for parents like herself to feel “heard.” She has campaigned to remove books with sexual content, sometimes carrying a sign that reads “GET PORN OUT OF SCHOOLS!” Harrington said Edelblut is one of the few allies she’s found in her efforts to challenge library materials.

“I think that I’m a typical mom who would like to see an array of different things available,” Harrington said. “But I don’t want it to be grossly sexually explicit.”

The meeting Edelblut organized was a microcosm of the education culture wars playing out across the country. It was also one in a string of attempts by Edelblut to control what students are exposed to in local public schools.

New Hampshire’s education commissioner doesn’t have the power to restrict which books go on library shelves or which diversity initiatives schools implement. Those issues are largely decided by locally elected school board members.

But through interviews with nearly 40 educators, parents and political activists — and hundreds of pages of public records — New Hampshire Public Radio and APM Reports have found that Edelblut has leveraged his oversight powers to elevate grievances against the public education system and, at times, individual educators.

He’s challenged superintendents on whether certain books depicting LGBTQ protagonists, sex and sexual abuse are harming the mental health of New Hampshire’s students. And he has repeatedly directed the state’s teacher misconduct investigator — the same official responsible for looking into allegations of abuse or discrimination — to review complaints about school materials.

In recent years, Edelblut has also cautioned one superintendent against using “Indigenous People’s Day” instead of “Columbus Day” on school calendars. Another educator, who is transgender, says the commissioner’s criticism of how they discussed LGBTQ issues in class was the final straw that prompted them to leave teaching for good .

The commissioner declined to be interviewed for this story and did not respond to a detailed list of questions about the incidents NHPR documented in our reporting. An education department spokesperson instead offered a brief statement.

“Like all state agencies, the New Hampshire Department of Education often receives concerns from constituents,” the spokesperson wrote. “The Department, including Commissioner Frank Edelblut, takes all constituent concerns seriously and works to respond to their inquiries. We are committed to ensuring the safety of children and work diligently with our partners to address any and all concerns swiftly and with fairness to all involved.”

After this story published, Edelblut published an op-ed on the state education department website where he wrote, in part: 

“When I assumed this role in 2017, I committed to being 100% focused on the children. Thank God someone is looking out for the children.”

READ MORE: A trans teacher asked students about pronouns. Then the education commissioner found out.

Edelbut’s willingness to field complaints has made him a champion among those who say public schools are ignoring concerns about classroom content and policies that conflict with their beliefs. And given New Hampshire’s expansion of school choice, dissatisfied families can more easily withdraw their kids from those schools and go elsewhere.

“The biggest complaint from parents is that the school isn’t responsive,” says Drew Cline, who chairs the New Hampshire State Board of Education and runs a prominent libertarian think tank . “When you have a commissioner of education trying to make the schools more responsive, he is trying to fix what parents are complaining about so parents don’t leave.”

But some who’ve been on the receiving end of Edelblut’s inquiries say he is intimidating educators and undermining efforts to make public schools welcoming to everyone.

“In public ed, you are exposed to people from all walks of life, and people with different faiths and people with different beliefs,” says Bedford Superintendent Mike Fournier, who runs a district of more than 4,000 students. “You can either choose to take your value system and try and force that on other people, or you can decide that there are some values that we all share together, and use that as your foundation.” 

‘This is a nonpartisan position’

Edelblut was tapped to lead the state education department in 2017 by his former political rival, Gov. Chris Sununu, who narrowly beat him in a Republican gubernatorial primary a few months before. The choice provoked immediate uproar among Democrats and teachers unions, who took issue with Edelblut’s political ideology and his lack of experience working in or with public schools.

As a candidate for governor in 2016, Edelblut made a name for himself as a political outsider and a favorite of social conservatives . He advocated for what he called “lowercase 'libertarian' issues of low taxes, limited government, local control of schools, personal responsibility.” His resume also includes a stint as state representative, eighteen years as founder and CEO of an international auditing firm and at least seven years on the board that raised money for Patrick Henry College, a conservative Christian college in Virginia. All seven of his children were homeschooled .

At his confirmation hearing, Edelblut pledged to keep politics out of the job .

“This is a nonpartisan position,” he said. “This is about making sure that our kids get the education that they deserve. And that will be my one hundred percent focus.”

But in the last seven years, he’s kept close ties to conservative causes in New Hampshire and beyond, partnering with organizations like PragerU and 1776 Unites on material for local students. He’s been a headliner for Republican and libertarian groups in his official capacity as education commissioner. At an October 2021 forum hosted by a group that fought against COVID-19 mitigation measures, Edelblut encouraged parents to push back against local district policies on those issues. The governor later said it was “inappropriate” for the commissioner to attend in his official capacity, “given this fringe group’s history and support of anti-government actions.”

Supporters and critics alike describe Edelblut as a populist who has responded to growing disillusionment with public institutions, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. He’s said he views parents as customers of the state’s education system, and it’s his duty to ensure they’re satisfied.

Terese Bastarache, a staunch critic of the Sununu administration, said she and other activists talk to Edelblut regularly. Bastarache rose to prominence during the pandemic for her protests around COVID-19 vaccines and later founded We The People NH , a group of “concerned and fed up Patriots” that has protested against a wide range of issues, including certain library books and drag queen story hours. While Bastarache wishes Edelblut would take more action to restrict books and other material, she said he has encouraged her to organize parents around those concerns.

“He actually in conversation said: ’I really want to fight this fight for the parents. And I just need there to be more attention brought to it so that when I go to fight the fight, I’ll have some more support,’” Bastarache told NHPR.

Edelblut also hasn’t shied away from fights over education policy at the State House. In 2021, he supported a new law that banned schools from teaching that anyone is “inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.” It mirrored policies passed in Republican-led states across the country, as well as an “Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping” issued by former President Donald Trump. In an op-ed, Edelblut framed the law as a way to “ensure that our students learn about the evils of racism without teaching them to be racists.”

Critics, including local teachers unions and the ACLU of New Hampshire, are suing the state over the law. They say it has a chilling effect, in part because it’s so vague that teachers don’t know what will get them in trouble.

While educators who run afoul of the law could lose their teaching credentials, none have faced formal sanctions for violating it. But the statute has led to a wave of complaints from Edelblut and others concerned about classroom content and library books. A few months after the law went into effect, a local Moms For Liberty chapter offered “$500 for the person that first successfully catches a public school teacher breaking this law.”

Investigating abuse, misconduct — and books

As Edeblut has heightened the state’s scrutiny over classroom content, he also directed the department’s misconduct investigator to pursue specific complaints against educators.

That investigator, Richard Farrell, spent 30 years with the New Hampshire State Police before moving to the education department. He’s part of the team that investigates serious allegations related to the educator code of conduct, including physical and sexual abuse of students. School officials say Farrell, who also worked briefly as a high school English teacher, is cordial and honest — but when they hear from him, they know it’s not good news.

Under Edelblut’s tenure and sometimes at his behest, Farrell has contacted superintendents about everything from Beyoncé and Childish Gambino music videos shown in a high school social studies class , to a middle school poster that said “Read Banned Books,” to a permission slip that mentioned learning about "activism” during a field trip about the Civil Rights Movement.

It’s not clear whether the education department triages the complaints that come to Farrell, or whether he contacts schools about each complaint he receives, regardless of whether it falls within his jurisdiction. Farrell has acknowledged that parents — and at times, school districts — “weaponize the code of conduct.”

“We want to stay within the bounds of the code, and weaponizing it is really a bad idea,” he said in a legislative committee hearing in 2023.

At the time, Farrell was offering testimony on a bill that would have expanded the education department’s investigative powers, including the right to subpoena educators. Department officials have encouraged it, saying it would be used as a “last resort” when dealing with uncooperative school districts. Lawmakers have twice rejected the idea.

Since 2022, NHPR has asked the state education department for more clarity on how it fields and pursues complaints about curriculum, books and potential teacher misconduct. The department said it could not give NHPR records related to any complaint that led to a formal investigation but could supply records related to complaints that fell short of that threshold. So far, the department has only fulfilled a portion of those requests.

NHPR contacted Farrell to arrange an interview, but an education department spokesperson later declined the request and said they could answer questions in writing. The department did not respond to those specific questions about how it decides which complaints merit Farrell’s attention and how Edelblut, Farrell and others in the department handle outreach to school districts.

Some school administrators argue the department’s investigations into culture war grievances distracts them from dealing with racism against students of color.

For example, in 2021, Farrell investigated complaints about a middle school social studies teacher in Weare who was using excerpts of “ Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You ,” a book by the authors Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds, in her lessons about slavery.

Jacqueline Coe, the district superintendent, fielded Farrell’s inquiries. After receiving the complaint, Coe read the book and talked to the teacher about how it fit into the broader lesson plan. She decided the excerpt provoked an important conversation and aligned with state standards.

The education department never opened a formal investigation into the social studies teacher, but Edelblut continued to highlight concerns about the book in comments to the state board of education and other public forums. He even cited the book in an op-ed as an example of material “that parents have identified as conflicting with their values.”

Coe said the state scrutiny “freaked out” the teacher — and some of her colleagues.

“We had our kindergarten teachers not want to talk about Martin Luther King Day,” she said, for fear of running afoul of the education department.

Around the same time as the commissioner’s op-ed was published , Coe and other district officials were dealing with the fallout after three teenagers wrote racist graffiti in their high school bathroom, some of it targeting a Black classmate. The students were later found to have violated New Hampshire civil rights law.

Coe said she didn’t expect to hear from the education department about that incident, since it was being handled by law enforcement. But she was struck that Edelblut was criticizing a book that grappled with racism as the school was struggling to respond to that very same problem.

“We’re dealing with racial issues and trying to increase anti-discrimination, and having that culture and climate conversation in our school,” she said. “We’re like, is the message [that] we’re not supposed to be talking about slavery?

Defining ‘developmentally appropriate’

Edelblut has also invoked state education standards regarding “developmentally appropriate” content to question schools’ book selection policies. Educators say it’s a nebulous concept to enforce, since it’s a subjective term.

But in at least two districts, Dover and Hanover , Edelblut pressed administrators about whether specific titles are available to students, and asked them to clarify how they ensure students get a “developmentally appropriate collection of instructional resources,” as those rules require.

“As you know, there is a very serious child mental health issue that we are all concerned about and working on,” the commissioner wrote in nearly identical letters sent to both districts. “Exposure to developmentally inappropriate materials has the effect of exacerbating those mental health issues that students are struggling with.”

The department’s scrutiny of Hanover stemmed from signs promoting Banned Books Week, an annual initiative coordinated by the American Library Association, displayed in the middle school library in September 2022. But it soon escalated into what Farrell, the misconduct investigator, described in an email to school officials as a “very intense inquiry.”

Dan Richards, a critic of Hanover’s equity and inclusion curriculum, raised concerns about several of the books featured on the sign and alleged in an email to a county official that the school was “pushing gay porn and pedophilic content to children.”

“I hate the idea of banning books in school libraries, but this is a case for doing so if ever there was one,” Richards wrote in that email, which Richards also forwarded to Edelblut.

He asked Edelblut if it was possible to file a complaint against the educators responsible “for a code of conduct violation,” a sanction that could result in the loss or suspension of someone’s education license. He also contacted the Hanover police and a county commissioner, alleging violations of New Hampshire’s obscenity laws, according to that email chain, which NHPR obtained through a records request to both the state and the school district.

Richards’ children previously attended Hanover schools. By the time he sent complaints to Edelblut, he had withdrawn his kids from the district and was in the process of moving to Puerto Rico. Richards told NHPR that he remained invested in the school district, even after moving away.

“I'm from there. I'm a graduate of that school system. I still have family who lives in the district, and I still maintain a home there,” he said. “I care.”

Richards said he complained directly to the school district but didn’t remember the person’s name he contacted. Hanover Superintendent Jay Badams says the first time he heard about the complaint was through an email from Farrell.

After conducting his own inquiry, Badams told the state he was confident the middle school librarian hadn’t done anything wrong. He said some of the books highlighted in the display weren’t on the library shelves but were available through an online database. Badams also acknowledged there could be room for discussion about what books were appropriate: “Maybe we need to consider content advisories on books as we do for explicit lyrics in music,” he wrote in an email to Farrell.

Badams told NHPR he took the state’s scrutiny seriously, since educators are put on notice whenever the code of conduct comes up.

“It’s like someone’s looking at your livelihood,” Badams said. “Someone’s looking at your credential and holding that credential and making a judgment call about some behavior, or something you did or didn’t do, that could determine whether or not you can continue to do your job.”

The controversy was never fully resolved. As Badams was dealing with questions about the library display, Edelblut reached out to flag that another book with sexually explicit content, the graphic novel “Flamer,” was available in the district’s online library. Badams asked Overdrive, the private company that manages the library, to limit the book to high school students. But Farrell told a colleague in the education department that this move would not “solve Frank [Edelblut]’s problem or concerns,” according to department emails. “Flamer” is no longer available in the state’s online library, but a spokesperson for Overdrive said it couldn’t comment on who asked for it to be removed. The education department did not respond when asked if anyone within the department requested the book’s removal.

Divided beliefs, divided response

As the leader of a district that serves many conservative families, Fournier, the Bedford superintendent, said he understands the importance of ensuring that public schools support families with vastly different ideologies. He and Edelblut get along, and they even attend the same church.

“I really believe that he believes he’s doing the right thing,” Fournier said.

Over the years, Edelblut has called Fournier several times to discuss concerns raised by local families. In one case, Edelblut relayed a complaint about a picture book read aloud to elementary schoolers featuring a family with two moms. Fournier said the commissioner also reached out based on rumors about the school’s policies for transgender students, which turned out not to be true. After the second instance, he asked the commissioner to back off — and Edelblut listened.

Fournier said the commissioner’s tone was never hostile. But he said his approach erodes trust and goes against New Hampshire’s ethos of local control.

“It’s just not appropriate,” Fournier said. “Because problems are best solved at the level where the problem is.”

In Exeter, Superintendent Esther Asbell said Edelblut called in fall 2023 to relay a complaint about the district’s use of “Indigenous People’s Day” instead of “Columbus Day” on the school calendar. In this case, the person who complained to the commissioner had already tried raising concerns directly with the district — but they were unsatisfied with the school’s response. Asbell said she recalls the commissioner saying, “You might want to think about what you’re going to do, because this could cause big problems for you.”

Asbell said the calendars are usually approved by the school board without much fanfare. But she eventually met with the person who complained, and agreed to name the holiday Indigenous People’s Day/Columbus Day.

“It felt unusual that the commissioner of public education would be making a phone call about a school approval calendar,” she said.

Karen Thompson, a longtime administrator at Hinsdale School District in southwestern New Hampshire, says that a few years ago some teachers asked for guidance on how to better support LGBTQ students. So she hired a local professional development coach, who is transgender, to lead a training session.

Then Edelblut called Thompson’s superintendent.

Edelblut said several school staff complained about the upcoming training, Thompson recalled. After learning about Edelblut’s call, Thompson asked the trainer to change the workshop topic and not focus on LGBTQ students.

Thompson says when she later got on the phone with Edelblut, he told her several times that he wasn’t directing her to cancel the workshop. But she says she changed the workshop because of his inquiry.

“When the commissioner was calling you about something you’re doing that you think is right, and you’re sort of being questioned about it, you’re a little on edge,” Thompson says. “We want to make sure we’re not getting on the wrong side of anything.”

Since then, the district has never provided a required staff training on the topic. Ideally, she said, the education department should provide guidance and support to districts as they try to respond to new cultural norms.

“When somebody sits in a seat of power, such as the commissioner of education, I think it is their job to respond to the ever-changing needs of our world,” she said. “I think that’s incredibly important. How will we move our kids forward if we don’t?”

This story was produced with APM Reports as part of the Public Media Accountability Initiative , which supports investigative reporting at local media outlets around the country.

Editor's note: This story was updated to include an excerpt of an op-ed by Commissioner Frank Edelblut that the Department of Education released after this story's publication.

These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.

Upper Burrell teen developing Holocaust education patch for Girl Scouts

Lily Sassani learned about the Holocaust through her studies in the Burrell School District.

But the 17-year-old Girl Scout from Upper Burrell never knew about the role of Girl Guides in World War II until her mother, Rachel, gave her a book on the topic.

Now, she is expanding on that knowledge to create a Holocaust education patch as her project for the Gold Award for Girl Scouts, the organization’s top honor. To her knowledge, no such patch exists.

“I thought it would be really important to highlight what was going on that’s not really been talked about,” said Sassani, a sophomore.

“Not many people know about Girl Guides. I need to help tell this story, and I need to help keep these women’s memory alive.”

During World War II, Girl Guides — the Girl Scouts in Europe — kept morale high, fed and healed soldiers and contributed to the war effort.

“Their role has definitely been underappreciated by history,” Sassani said. “There’s all this complex work they’ve done to help people escape. They kept people alive. … It’s important and impactful work that we’re digesting and passing it to younger girls.”

She is collaborating with the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh to create the patch. The Jewish Women’s Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh donated a $10,000 grant to assist with the project, said its executive director, Judy Cohen.

“This patch is about writing women and girls back into history,” Cohen said. “The lessons of the Holocaust still resonate today, and the learning required to complete the patch will bring to light historical stories of courage, resistance, sacrifice and resilience among women and will inspire Girl Scouts of today to model their own actions on the Girl Guides of World War II.

“By learning about the Girl Guides when working on this patch, Girl Scouts are also provided an entry point to learn about the Holocaust and antisemitism, which is so critical today given the rise of antisemitism.”

Once complete, the patch would be available to Girl Scouts in Western Pennsylvania. Sassani is hoping to expand it nationwide.

“I’d like it to be accessible to not just Scouts but anyone interested in the project,” she said.

Emily Loeb, director of programs and education at the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, said the center plans to host an event where Sassani will present her findings and work.

“There is no formal opportunity for Girl Scouts in Southwestern Pennsylvania to learn about the Holocaust or antisemitism,” Loeb said. “When Lily noticed this lack and approached us about helping her create a Holocaust Education patch program, we knew we wanted to be part of this work. It’s a new and creative approach to teaching about the Holocaust and antisemitism that extends outside our traditional education network, and it’s about a little-known aspect of World War II history that highlights extraordinary upstander behavior of young women.”

Loeb said the program will generate conversations about the erasure of the role women played during the war, the history of the Holocaust and antisemitism and identity-based hate, both then and now.

“The patch curriculum will move Girl Scouts from learning to action, encouraging them to become upstanders in their own communities by implementing a project addressing an injustice of today, emulating the Girl Scouts and Guides who came before them,” Loeb said.

Sassani is the only Jewish student she knows, and the project has connected her with others in the Jewish community, she said.

Sassani still is in the process of making the curriculum for the patch. The research involved in the project has been an outstanding and rewarding experience, she said.

“It’s really educational,” she said. “It’s not just sitting in school. It’s connecting and doing an activity.”

Along with working with local Jewish history historians, Sassani also interviewed a Holocaust survivor and her daughter, as well as Janie Hampton, author of “How the Girl Guides Won the War.”

Sassani acknowledges creating the curriculum and the patch is a daunting task, but it’s one she is more than willing to tackle.

“I’m just a kid from Burrell,” she said. “It’s so much bigger than me.”

Kellen Stepler is a TribLive reporter covering the Allegheny Valley and Burrell school districts and surrounding areas. He joined the Trib in April 2023. He can be reached at [email protected] .

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