Am I Invisible? by Murphy Lynne, gives her account (physically, mentally, emotionally) of what school was like as a student on the autism spectrum. Her brutally honest and eye-opening journey will leave all readers with a better understanding of how school is different for all students, and how we, as educators can help to make sure all students are seen.

Are you always asking questions about the world? Do you wish you were more curious? Warren Berger uses A More Beautiful Question to train you to think systematically and deeply about questions that we ask.

In The Power of Moments, the Heath brothers piece together research, personal anecdotes, history, and psychology to clarify something that affects us all… moments in our lives. They clarify the conditions that increase the chances they are memorable, like creating “peak moments”(eg. college acceptance communication), “leveling up” your pride (e.g. Boy Scout levels), and connections (e.g. team-building exercises) all enhance the moments of our lives

In Grit, by Angela Duckworth, the reader is taken on a journey to analyze how persistence makes the difference in a successful life. If you are looking to identify and/or foster grit this book will give you research, anecdotes, and theories to do that.

John Medina hits a home run in Brain Rules as he achieves his goal of reframing work, home, and school based on brain science. He uses the neuroscientific principles of evolution, attention, memory, and the senses to walk the reader through the many ways we could improve our lives and productivity.

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

In Creating Wicked Students, Paul Hanstedt presents methods and strategies for assisting students in solving “wicked problems”– situations where the parameters of the problem and the means available for solving them are changing constantly. To prepare students to apply what they are learning in the classroom to create change in a wickedly-good, but ever-changing and challenging world.

A Guide to Teaching in the Active Learning Classroom takes what many K-12 educators have known for years about student learning and enhances it to another level. All teachers, regardless of level, would benefit from reading the research-based teaching practices outlined in this book.

What if the educational emphasis on cognition and ability was all a mistake? What if we focused on developing persistence, self-control, and curiosity instead of cognitive skills? In How Children Succeed, Paul Tough argues that teaching soft skills might be more important than the traditional educational curriculum.

If you are interested in motivation for yourself, your students, or those you lead, you will find plenty of ideas and research in Drive. Daniel Pink sandwiches mastery, autonomy, and purpose in between his call for new methods of motivating and toolkits to do so. A masterful combination of history, research, and theory will be a joy for anyone interested in motivating themselves or others.

Different Schools for a Different World is a quick read for anyone who needs convincing or reminding why traditional education hasn’t, and isn’t, working. Links to organizations doing great work, the TRUDACOT model for tech integration, and examples of deep learning schools at the end are all handy. Use them to remind us that there are tools and examples for us to tap into for inspiration and guidance.

Khan Academy is offering courses in much more than just math and more than 100 million people use the site each year. If you are curious about Khan’s philosophy of education and his vision for the future, this book will inspire you to change education on a grand scale. After all, the Mission of Khan Academy is to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.

Seth Godin’s Linchpin proclaims that the industrial model of schooling and living as cogs in a machine is outdated, and in turn, explains how individuals can transform themselves into indispensable linchpins that create art, inspire human connections, and solve interesting problems. Godin chips away at traditional educational models that rely upon fear, compliance, and rote memorization; however, he also provides innovative alternatives centered around the belief in students, growth, leadership, and taking risks.

Cognitive Scientist Daniel Willingham picks apart the traditional concepts teachers are continually taught and explains them in simplistic detail. He organizes the book based upon a few concrete ideas that could forever alter the way you teach.

Socol, Moran, and Ratliff’s book Timeless Learning; How Imagination, Observation and Zero-Based Thinking Change Schools takes a look at outdated American public schools and how they are currently failing students. School leaders and educators wishing to create change will appreciate this book for inspiration and for ideas on how and where to start.

Ibram X. Kendi blends research, personal anecdotes, and history together poetically to paint the picture of what it means to live out the title of this book. How to be an Antiracist will give you the definitions, background, and theories to guide you towards a new way of viewing your role in the world.

Frans Johansson tells stories that illustrate connections across seemingly dissimilar disciplines in order to emphasize his main idea: Intersection is the key to innovation. Most of the book is spent guiding the reader in terms of how to create the Intersection as frequently and efficiently as possible.

Are your students discovering their talents and pursuing their passions? In The Element, Sir Ken Robinson explains why and how all humans should tap into their aptitudes and interests in order to find more fulfillment in life and prepare for the complex problems facing our ever-changing world.

Taken from the perspective of what makes an idea stick, this book analyzes and presents effective delivery methods to increase the retention of concepts or ideas. The Heath brothers use real-world examples and a somewhat informal tone to assist their readers in applying the six principles of “stickiness” (Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories: SUCCESS) necessary for effective concept retention.

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