Breakthrough Leadership in the Digital Age

"This is a great "how to" book for any district that is interested in tackling the technology challenges for our students.  It gives a new way to think about instructional delivery and how to best prepare ourselves for facilitating learning in the 21st Century."

"The democratization of information and the availability of technology are two of the biggest issues facing American public education today and can have a transformative impact on teaching and learning. But we can't simply plug new devices into old classrooms. In Breakthrough Leadership in the Digital Age, Hess and Saxberg make it clear that we can only fully leverage the educational possibilities of technology if we are willing to become "learning engineers" first, and redesign our schools, classrooms, and teaching practices to take full advantage of these tools. This will require bold leadership and dramatic changes to the way we structure our school day, train our educators, and deliver instruction. This book is an important part of the conversation about what it means to education children in the 21st century."

"Hess and Saxberg offer a powerful read for principals as the chief 'learning engineers' in schools. Instructional leaders know that technology has changed the complexion of schools and classrooms, but their leadership is needed to steward its use to solve learning challenges.  

Principals are becoming masters of navigating programs, gadgets, and curricula to best utilize resources. Applying the principles of learning science to these leadership competencies will deepen the level of thinking about technology, and lead to more meaningful student outcomes.

By deconstructing learning science and making the connection to technology, the authors have outlined key strategies for school leaders as they work to transform traditional practices in schools. The insights and ideas put forth by Hess and Saxberg will help principals implement myriad practices that fully realize the potential of technology and digital learning.

An educator, political scientist and author, Frederick M. Hess studies K-12 and higher education issues. His books include The Same Thing Over and Over, Education Unbound, Common Sense School Reform, Revolution at the Margins, Spinning Wheels, and Cage-Busting Leadership (Harvard Education Press, February 2013). He is also the author of the popular Education Week blog, Rick Hess Straight Up. Hesss work has appeared in scholarly and popular outlets such as Teachers College Record, Harvard Education Review, Social Science Quarterly, Urban Affairs Review, American Politics Quarterly, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Phi Delta Kappan, Educational Leadership, U.S. News & World Report, National Affairs, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Atlantic and National Review. He has edited widely cited volumes on education philanthropy, school costs and productivity, the impact of education research, and No Child Left Behind.  Hess serves as executive editor of Education Next, as lead faculty member for the Rice Education Entrepreneurship Program, and on the review boards for the Broad Prize in Urban Education and the Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools. He also serves on the boards of directors of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, 4.0 SCHOOLS, and the American Board for the Certification of Teaching Excellence. A former high school social studies teacher, he has taught at the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, Rice University and Harvard University. He holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Government, as well as an M.Ed. in Teaching and Curriculum, from Harvard University. Bror Saxberg is responsible for the research and development of innovative learning strategies, technologies and products across Kaplan's full range of educational services offerings. He also oversees future developments and adoptions of innovative learning technologies and maintains consistent academic standards for Kaplan's products and courses. Saxberg most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Learning Officer at K12, Inc., where he was responsible for designing both online and off-line learning environments and developing new student products and services. Prior to joining K12, Inc., he was Vice President at Knowledge Universe, where he co-founded the testing and assessment division that became known as Knowledge Testing Enterprise (KTE). Saxberg began his career at McKinsey & Company, Inc. and later served as Vice President and General Manager for London-based DK Multimedia, part of DK Publishing, and education and reference publisher. Saxberg holds a B.A. in Mathematics and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington. As a Rhodes Scholar, he received an M.A. in Mathematics from Oxford University. He also received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from M.I.T. and an M.D. from Harvard Medical...

Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors 1. Introduction Thinking Like a Learning Engineer Why This Volume? The Book: The World's Most Successful Education Technology Books Are a Learning Technology A Dispiriting Track Record A Lot of Potential Myths That Suffuse and Confuse Rethinking Carpe Diem: Reengineering What It Means to Be a "School" Don't Get Stuck on Bogeymen Learning Science and Learning Engineers The Book Ahead 2. What We Can Learn From Learning Science Cognitive Science and Its Less Useful Cousins Becoming an Expert How Memory Works Deliberate Practice Working Memory Has Two Channels: Audio and Visual The Crucial Role of Student Motivation Putting Learning Science to Work Seven Elements of Learning A Few Key Takeaways 3. Applying Learning Science to Technology The Five Capabilities of Technology The Tutoring Challenge Know What Problem You're Solving Technology Can Help With the Elements of Learning Putting People and Technology Together Putting This to Work 4. Reengineering With Technology The Socratic Method New Tools Can Create New Capabilities Engineers Ask a Lot of Questions What Happens When You Don't Think Like a Learning Engineer Mooresville Graded School District: Fish Don't Talk About Water Technology Can Be a Powerful Tool 5. Redesigning Schools and Systems Designing for New Challenges and Opportunities Khan Academy: Distinguishing the App Store From the Apps Leveraging the Elements of Learning Design Rocketship Education: The Engineer's Tale It's the Engineering, Not the Gizmos 6. Doing This in the Real World Technology in the Real World When Rules Get in the Way Going One-to-One Summit Public Schools: Finding a Way Overcoming the Obstacles 7. Bringing It Together Three Big Things to Keep in Mind Every Team Needs Learning Engineers Learning Engineers Ride in the Engine, Not the Caboose Revisiting Our Myths The Bad News... Is the Good News Index