LITMIR.BIZ

Acknowledgments

      Every book has its origin story. This book came about because of the work Diane Tavenner and I started in May of 2020 with the launch of our Class Disrupted podcast.

      With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting every facet of schooling, parents and educators had big questions about why our schooling system works the way it does. The podcast was a place where we could provide answers.

      Diane and I had been pursuing transformational changes in education for years—me from a position of thought leadership and her from a position of starting, running, and growing an inspiring network of innovative schools. The pandemic lifted the lid on education in America—and opened many to the idea that school can work differently from how it has over the past many decades. We wanted to seize that opportunity for reinvention to benefit all students.

      Three school years later, Diane and I never imagined we would still be doing our podcast, but we are. Each episode, I learn from and enjoy the time with Diane. Her imprint—in her ideas and wisdom—is on the text and structure of this book. I owe her a debt of gratitude for her insights, balance in a world of extremes, grace, empathy, and curiosity.

Steve Chaggaris, Jenna Free, Emmeline Zhao, and the rest of the team at The 74, an education news site that has hosted and distributed the podcast, played a valuable role in bringing Diane and my musings to life.

      The teachings of Clayton Christensen have continued to give me a set of lenses through which I see the world. I remain not only indebted to him, but also to the Clayton Christensen Institute we cofounded. My colleagues—Julia Freeland Fisher, Ann Christensen, John Riley, Everett Poisson, Bob Moesta, Efosa Ojomo, Ruth Hartt, and many others—have all played a role in helping this book come together. I also want to single out Thomas Arnett for his help. He not only read through the manuscript and provided valuable edits and feedback, but he also allowed me to call and email him several times to continue to test new ideas and drafts.

      Susan Patrick, Tom Vander Ark, Razan Roberts, Jane Swift, and the ever-formidable Gisele Huff also provided valuable input, edits, and pushback.

      Many individuals provided encouragement and support as well, including Jeff Selingo, Lucy Greenslade, Jen Holleran, Biff Maier, Sarah Jamison, and Maxwell Bigman, along with the inspiring team at Guild Education, including CJ Jackson, Andrew LaCasse, Rachel Romer Carlson, Paul Freedman, Sam Olivieri, Christy Stanford, and Sveta Dawant.

      Guests on our Class Disrupted podcast, including Evan Marwell, Larry Berger, Sal Khan, Angela Duckworth, Todd Rose, Jeff Wetzler, and Aylon Samouha, played a significant role in the shaping of the book, as did guests on my YouTube channel, including Annette Anderson, Mark Van Ryzin, Cory Henwood, Gina Meinertz, Hattie Sanness, Brigid Moriarty-Guerrero, Pete Driscoll, Macke Raymond, David Miyashiro, Ed Hidalgo, Jonathan Haber, Elizabeth Chu, Matt Bowman, Andrew Frishman, Izzy Fitzgerald, Dayvon W., Amy Anderson, Joel Rose, Amir Nathoo, Scott Ellis, Julie Young, Doug Curtin, and more.

I also want to thank my literary agents Danny Stern and Kristen Karp, as well as Paige Russell at Stern Speakers. They have been there every step of the way for me, as usual.

      It's been wonderful to once again work with the team at Jossey-Bass Wiley. Thank you to Amy Fandrei, Pete Gaughan, Mary Beth Rosswurm, Ajith Kumar, Kim Wimpsett, Philo Antonie Mahendran, and Cape Cod Compositors for their help in shaping this work.

      My parents were, as usual, instrumental in the book-writing process. Although I'm sure I haven't fully followed my mom's wisdom to shorten and simplify, their dedication, edits, and pushback to their son are always appreciated. I promise. My brother and bestselling author Jonathan Horn's wisdom on the publishing process was helpful as usual, as was Steven Horn's love and unflagging support.

      Finally, a thank you and love to my family that, given the pandemic, has often seen me during almost every waking minute. Madison and Kayla were thrilled to provide some edits for this book—and were understanding that there were fewer pictures than in my previous one. And my wife, Tracy Kim Horn, not only once again provided valuable feedback on the manuscript, but she also heroically gave me the time and support to finish this labor of love as she worked through her own challenges. We remain fortunate with more blessings than I can count.