Summer Reading List for Faculty and School Leaders

The following titles have been suggested over the years for schools looking for faculty summer reading options, selections for the leadership team, and individual professional learning. Including both practical strategies and deeper concepts, we hope you find something to inspire and rejuvenate you this summer. 

Education, Teaching, and Learning

• A Curriculum of Hope: As Rich in Humanity as in Knowledge Debra Kidd
• An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students Ron Berger
• Are My Kids on Track? The 12 Emotional, Social, and Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to Reach Sissy Goff, David Thomas, Melissa Trevathan
• Comprehension and Collaboration: Inquiry Circles in Action Stephanie Harvey and Harvey “Smokey” Daniels
• Conferring with Young Mathematicians at Work Catherine Twomey Fosnot
• Creating Cultures of Thinking: The 8 Forces We Must Master to Truly Transform Our Schools Ron Ritchhart
• ​Critical Thinking Is About Asking Better Questions John Coleman
• Developing More Curious Minds John Barell
• Engaging Children’s Minds: The Project Approach Lillian Katz
• Hopes and Fears: Working with Today’s Independent School Parents Robert Evans and Michael Thompson
• How Learning Happens: Seminal Works in Educational Psychology and What They Mean in Practice Paul A. Kirschner and Carl Hendrick
• How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds Alan Jacobs
• Kids First from Day One: A Teacher’s Guide to Today’s Classroom Christine Hertz and Kristine Mraz
• Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead, and Live Without Barriers Jo Boaler
• Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel 
• Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, Karin Morrison
• Marching Off the Map: Inspire Students to Navigate a Brand New World Tim Elmore and Andrew McPeak
• Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students’ Potential through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching Jo Boaler
• Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs Ellen Galinsky
• Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom Jan Birkins and Kari Yates
• Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator Dave Burgess
• Teaching with Intention: Defining Beliefs, Aligning Practice, Taking Action, K-5 Debbie Miller
• The Art of Inquiry: Questioning Strategies for K-6 Classrooms Nancy Lee Cecil and Jeanne Pfeifer
• The Blessings of a Skinned Knee: Using Timeless Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children Wendy Mogel
• The Courage to Teach Parker Palmer
• The Extended Mind Annie Murphy Paul
• The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go so Their Children Can Succeed Jessica Lahey
• The Hungry Mind: The Origins of Curiosity in Children Susan Engel
• The Map Karl Kuhnert and Keith Eigel
• The Path to Purpose: Helping Our Children Find Their Calling in Life William Damon
• The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
• Thinking Fast and Slow Daniel Kahneman
• Transforming your Teaching: Practical Classroom Strategies Informed by Cognitive Neuroscience Kimberly Carraway
• Twelve Best Practices for Early Childhood Education Ann Lewis Benham
• Understanding Independent School Parents Michael Thompson
• Unpack Your Impact: How Two Primary Teachers Ditched Problematic Lessons and Built a Culture-Centered CurriculumNaomiO’Brien and LaNesha Tabb
• Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning John Hattie
• Who Owns the Learning: Preparing Students for Success in the Digital Age Alan November

Leadership

• 5 Voices: How to Communicate Effectively with Everyone You Lead Jeremie Kubicek
• A Force for Change: How Leadership Differs from Management John Kotter
• Above the Line: Lessons in Leadership and Life from a Championship Program Urban Meyer
• Executive Courage: Sometimes You Have to Walk Point James Benson
• Grasp: The Science Transforming How We Learn  Sanjay Sarma
• Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t Simon Sinek
• Leadership in Turbulent Times Doris Kearns Goodwin
• Leadership Is an Art Max DePree
• Leadership Jazz: The Essential Elements of a Great Leader Max DePree
• Leading in a Culture of Change Michael Fullan
• The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership Steven Sample
• The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter Michael Watkins
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni
• The Way of the Shepherd: 7 Ancient Secrets to Managing Productive People Kevin Leman and William Pentak
• Washington: A Life Ron Chernow

Culture, Change, Communication, and More

• A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas Warren Berger
• Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children Roberta Golinkoff and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek
• Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald
• Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World’s Greatest Teams Sam Walker
• Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Emily Gregory
• The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups Daniel Coyle
• Culturize: Every Student. Every Day. Whatever it Takes. Jimmy Casas
• Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult PeopleBob Goff
• I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
• Legacy James Kerr
• Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? Seth Godin
• Move Your Bus: An Extraordinary New Approach to Accelerating Success in Work and Life Ron Clark
• Negotiating the Nonnegotiable: How to Resolve Your Most Emotionally Charged Conflicts Daniel Shapiro
• Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on it Chris Voss
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking Susan Cain
• Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back Andrew Zolli
• Soul Print: Discovering Your Divine Destiny Mark Batterson
• Team of Teams Stanley McChrystal
• The Power of Trust: How Companies Build It, Lose It, Regain It Sandra J. Sucher and Shalene Gupta
• The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids Madeline Levine
• The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
• The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation Anna Malaika Tubbs
• The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good? Michael J. Sandel
• The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World Jamil Zaki
• Think Again Adam Grant
• Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All About Me World Michelle Borba
• Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen Dan Heath
• When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing Daniel Pink