In their accessible and approachable new book, scholars Jennie Weiner and Monica Higgins interrogate the structures and systems leading to the underrepresentation of women school leaders. Each chapter is organized around a contextual reality or theoretical framework followed by case studies and reflection questions. For instance, “The Double Bind For Women Leaders” illuminates that whether women lead with more agentic, stereotypically male qualities or more collaborative, stereotypically feminine ones, “either choice is associated with negative consequences for access to and success in leadership roles.” The case studies that follow illustrate elements of the double bind playing out in the careers of three different female leaders, and the subsequent reflection questions invite readers to consider the narratives in isolation as well as alongside their lived experiences. The authors call for all members of school communities “to learn about gender bias and gendered racism and their relationship with how leadership is defined and enacted and to be intentional about disrupting patterns of bias.” Given that approximately 80% of teachers in independent schools are women while only 33% of school Heads are women, there are gains to be made; Weiner and Higgins effectively demonstrate that suggesting women simply “lean in” is insufficient. Ultimately, this well-researched text is an engaging read that empowers women leaders – and aspiring women leaders – to make sense of their leadership journeys while providing allies with strategies for disrupting gendered discrimination and racism in their communities.

In this probing, trenchant article, Paul Tough, author of several books on educational inequality, delves into compelling data on Americans’ perceptions of the value of a college education. The findings are sobering: thirty-three percent of Americans report confidence in higher education and almost half of American parents say they don’t want their kids to enroll in a four-year college. This shift has dented college populations: “as recently as 2016, 70% of high school graduates were still going straight to college; now the figure is 62%.” Tough juxtaposes this data on the US with insights from the rest of the world, where “higher education is more popular than ever.” He begins his analysis with the already high and rising costs of American higher education, showing how the so-called “college wealth premium” indicates decreasing returns on the investment in higher education for more recent college graduates, likely due to the cost – and underlying loan system – of contemporary higher education. Tough also cites insightful data about who finishes college and the impact of choosing more “lucrative” majors, but there is also new data on politicized perceptions of the value of college education. Tough braids analysis of this data with the much-discussed findings of Chetty, Friedman, and Deming on “the intersections of social class and higher education,” which showed how much elite institutions “put a thumb on the scale for the rich and powerful.” Independent school leaders and educators would do well to try to understand – and troubleshoot – the rather bleak picture painted by Tough; as Tough argues, the cost of these changes is one “we are likely to bear together, winners and losers alike.”

This working paper brings into view five decades of research about the state of the teaching profession in the US. Any school charged with employing exemplary teachers, encouraging continual growth across often long careers, and meeting the needs of students in a changing landscape of political and social polarities will find essential data here. While shaking any complacency about who may be choosing to enter the pipeline of outstanding young teachers in the coming years, the paper also affords the opportunity to ensure that respect for educators is top of mind when setting school priorities. The statistics are as compelling as they are grim. With headlines like “The current state of the teaching profession is at or near its lowest levels in 50 years” in the New York Times (J. Grose, September 13, 2023), for example, minds turn to questions: Who will teach tomorrow? What keeps the courage to teach alive? Do our schools differ from the data? The four dimensions of the profession studied here – prestige, interest, preparation, and satisfaction – emerge with startling clarity from a crisp, accessible, scholarly analysis of hundreds of studies. The fact that in all four areas teachers are losing ground is found here. What is not here are two elements that bear consideration: the wider international picture which might bring examples of conditions that have supported the profession differently and a clear signal of the path forward. This report is not only a canary song of warning, but also an urgent reminder that we who are in the profession have ground-breaking and pathfinding to do to save it.

Educators wanting to deepen their understanding of the affirmative action debate need to read Natasha Warikoo’s new book. It provides the historical context, language, and counterarguments needed for thoughtful discourse. Warikoo, a Professor of Sociology at Tufts University, uses philosophy and social science research data to analyze the benefits and potential drawbacks of affirmative action. She unpacks the nuance and complexity of affirmative action and race, and she explores the “divergent understandings of the role that race continues to play in the contemporary United States.” Warikoo posits that affirmative action does not apply equally to every minority group, and framing college admissions as “an individualist, meritocratic competition” inaccurately leads people to equate admissions decisions with the worthiness of individuals. A proper understanding of admissions begins with an understanding of the diverse goals of colleges and universities, which affirmative action does not adequately address. Warikoo argues that college admissions will never be completely “fair.” She also confronts the colorblindness view that racial inequality no longer plays a role in the opportunities of individuals. Warikoo’s conclusion is clear: affirmative action is a “worthy policy,” that needs to be expanded.

Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents--And What They Mean for America's Future is a game-changer. Key to its value, Jean Twenge’s research and analysis help move many classical theories of generation change or differences into the realm of solid conclusions and usable data. While each generation receives its fair share of analysis, additional interludes and insights pertaining to certain seminal events in history are interwoven. The final chapter tackles current questions and comments on important topics, ranging from remote work to mental health, that will inevitably be impacted by the generational lens. All these insights come together to provide a striking tool for strategic thinking, particularly in a dynamic, relational sector like education. One can confidently say that anyone who reads Generations with an open mind will better understand their relationships and improve their work at large – making this book a true asset for educators. Those familiar with Twenge’s previous work in iGen will be reminded of her readability, candor, and humor while also appreciating her sound research methods and rich conclusions.

In Short Changed: How Advanced Placement Cheats Students, Annie Abrams traces the roots of the College Board back to the early 1950s – when committees of educators sought to explore ways in which high schools and universities could collaborate in offering liberal arts education to American students as both a means to social mobility and a national safeguard against authoritarianism – and then examines the many ways its vision has been altered in the name of profit and uniformity. Abrams explores financial data and class curricula to expose the dogmatic, business side of College Board offerings. The directives of what to teach, their stultifying effects on creative thinking, and the amount of time that must be dedicated to test preparation throughout the year for formulaic exams, have all combined to reshape AP classes into the very authoritarian and anti-democratic experiences from which those institutions hoped to protect their students. In her call to action, Abrams brings attention to some of the schools that have the privilege of no longer offering AP classes – many of the schools whose teachers actually contributed to the original vision of AP – and asks readers to reflect on a more effective way to inspire our students in a post-College Board world.

Heat waves, wildfires, and chatbots that seem to know the words we are looking for before we do – the summer of 2023 brought extreme acts of both nature and humankind. Who among us predicted some, or all, of these novel events? Given what we can perceive with our own senses, not to mention what is reported across the media on a minute-to-minute basis, shouldn’t all of us have at least considered the current climate calamity and the age of AI as possibilities? In Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything—Even Things That Seem Impossible Today, Jane McGonigal of the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, CA makes a compelling case for adopting the habits of mind known as futures thinking, or thinking in active ways about specific scenarios that may come to be. Doing so, she argues, helps “to prepare our minds and stretch our collective imagination, so we are more flexible, adaptable, agile, and resilient when the “unthinkable” happens.” McGonigal defines episodic future thinking (EFT) as the process of “unsticking” our minds – of thinking about the unthinkable by looking for clues, signals, and signs of change and by engaging in deliberate acts of imagination, what she calls “packing [our] bags for the future.” As the school-year clock restarts and educators experience that comforting, recursive return to the classroom, we are wise to fortify our thinking about what’s around the corner. More than ever, the future is now.