Recent Reads
NAESP members share insights into books that helped them grow personally and as school leaders. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Lead for a Strong Culture
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle
What was the book’s main message?
We can take a page from successful CEOs and organizations to cultivate a positive culture in which educators are safe to take informed risks, ask for help, and [work] together toward a common mission.
What was your favorite quote from the book?
“One misconception about highly successful cultures is that they are happy, lighthearted places. This is mostly not the case. They are energized and engaged, but at their core, their members are orientated less around achieving happiness than around solving hard problems together.”
What strategies did you learn that would help principals who are new to a school?
If you are coming into the principalship, entrance interviews with each staff member can yield very helpful information. Consider three simple questions: (1) What do you like most about this school? (2) What do you like least? and (3) What would you change if you were principal?
What is one idea you took from the book to implement in your school?
I plan to conduct after-action reviews after professional development, faculty meetings, safety drills, behavioral or disciplinary incidents, and special events to allow us to reflect on successes and figure out what we may want to do differently next time.
How has this book helped you grow as a leader?
This book reminded me that our work as building leaders is grounded in service to others and the greater community. It is imperative to build a strong culture that positively impacts student outcomes.
Learning Over Teaching
Let’s Stop Teaching and Start Designing Learning: A Practical Guide by Jason Kennedy
How would you summarize this book?
Teaching should not be the focus; learning should. It challenges educators to shift from simply delivering content and information to intentionally designing learning experiences that promote critical thinking, engagement, and student ownership.
What was your favorite quote from the book?
“Engagement is not synonymous with the word entertainment.” Meaningful learning stems from curiosity and relevance, not flashy activities or projects.
What is one strategy you have incorporated into your leadership approach?
This year, the focus is on the importance of success criteria. While learning targets tell students what they are expected to learn, success criteria clarify how they’ll know if they’ve met that goal, empowering them to take ownership of their learning and allowing teachers to provide more focused guidance and feedback.
How has this book helped you grow as a leader?
It challenged me to get back to the basics of effective instruction. We now focus on whether learning is visible, student-centered, and intentionally designed.
Why should other school leaders read this book?
This book provides a practical, honest, and transformational approach to instructional improvement.
Avoid Doing Things the Normal Way
Fans First: Change The Game, Break The Rules, & Create An Unforgettable Experience by Jesse Cole
What was your favorite quote from the book?
“Normal gets normal results. Whatever’s normal, do the exact opposite.” So much of school can feel normal. Safe. Predictable. But kids (and staff) don’t need only what’s predictable—they also need magic.
What was the book’s main message?
Fans First is a blueprint for building culture through radical hospitality and an unwavering belief in people. Cole doesn’t just run a baseball team; he creates unforgettable experiences. The message is clear: If you want people to buy in, you have to put them first—always.
What parts of the book resonated the most with you?
The relentless commitment to joy, energy, and intentionality. As a school leader, it’s easy to get caught up in to-do lists, but this book reminded me that culture isn’t accidental—it’s crafted. Cole’s willingness to look foolish, take risks, and break industry rules made me rethink the expectations and norms I’ve accepted in education that might not be serving kids anymore.
What is one strategy you have incorporated or will incorporate into your leadership approach?
Identifying and removing friction points—anything that gets in the way of joy or connection and trust. A few times a year, I hand my staff a notecard that asks, “What’s one friction point I can take away for you?” It’s a small gesture that opens big conversations.
What is one idea you took from the book to implement in your school?
The biggest takeaway for me was simple: People first. I can get caught up in tasks, timelines, emails, and sometimes my own ego. Whatever metric we use to define success, it starts with how we treat people.
How has this book helped you grow as a leader?
It challenged me to pay attention, to ask better questions, to lead more with heart than hurry. It gave me the language and permission to care more openly, to celebrate more loudly, and to lead with joy, even when the job is heavy.
Why should other school leaders read this book?
We all need fresh eyes. Fans First isn’t a book about baseball—it’s a book about people. About culture. About doing things differently—not for the sake of novelty, but for the sake of connection.
Living in the Moment
The Book of Ichigo Ichie: The Art of Making the Most of Every Moment, the Japanese Way by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles
What was the book’s main message?
The premise behind the book is that no single moment will be repeated and that we will only experience each once in our life. [It invites us] to be fully present in every moment with all of our senses. We can learn to experience each moment from a perspective of appreciation and gratitude, regardless of what the moment brings.
What parts of the book resonated the most with you?
You can open the book to any page and there is an authentic, relatable example of an Ichigo Ichie moment that boosts your sense of happiness by engaging in gratitude. It places you in a mindset of joy and of openness to seeing the beauty in all aspects of life.
What was your favorite quote from the book?
The core concept of Ichigo Ichie itself is my favorite quote or guiding principle. It’s the idea of “one time, one meeting” that reminds us of the preciousness and irreplaceability of each moment.
What is one strategy you have incorporated or will incorporate into your leadership approach?
I have used the book as a gift for my leadership team and parent volunteer group. We start our meetings by reading a paragraph and connect mindfully with gratitude and presence. This is especially impactful when handling difficult situations.
How has this book helped you grow as a leader?
I have the book in my office [to remind] me of the power of being present and the importance of every moment I live and every interaction I have.
Why should other school leaders read this book?
This book is a truly grounding gift. It was given to me as a present from another administrator whom I admire, and I hope to pass on the gift in recommending it.