Redefining Student Success

Ken Kay is one of the founders of the 21st century education movement. He served as Chief Executive Office of EdLeader21, a professional learning community for education leaders committed to 21stcentury education. Prior to EdLeader21, he was the founding President of the Partnership for 21stCentury Skills. He also served as Executive Director for the CEO Forum on Education and Technology. Along with Valerie Greenhill, Ken wrote A Leader's Guide to 21st Century Education: 7 Steps for Schools and Districts. For nearly a decade, Ken was a member of the board of PBLWorks (formerly the Buck Institute for Education). He is a graduate of Oberlin College and the University of Denver College of Law. Active on social media (@kenkay21), he maintains a website at kenkay21.com where he explains his ongoing role as "education provocateur". Suzie Boss is a writer and educational consultant who focuses on the power of teaching and learning to improve lives and transform communities. She is the author of 10 popular books for educators, most recently Project Based Teaching: How to Create Rigorous and Engaging Learning Experiences and Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age, 3rd Ed. She collaborated with award-winning teacher Stephen Ritz to tell his inspiring story about classroom innovation in The Power of a Plant. A regular contributor to Edutopia, PBLWorks National Faculty emeritus, and frequent conference presenter, she consults with schools and nonprofit organizations around the world interested in shifting to a more student-centered, innovative approach to teaching and learning. Active on social media (@suzieboss), she maintains a website at suzieboss.com.

Foreword by Tony Wagner Preface Gratitudes About the Authors INTRODUCTION Preparing for Challenges and Opportunities How We Got Here Redefining Student Success to Address Equity The Time Is Now PART I: EMBRACING YOUR VISION CHAPTER 1: BE THE LEADER OF A BOLD VISION To Construct a Bold Vision, Focus on the Readiness Gap Adopting Your Portrait of a Graduate Embrace a Broad and Bold Conversation Focus on Equity Resources for Your Equity Work Final Reflections Resources for Implementation Action Steps CHAPTER 2: BE THE LEADER OF A GREEN LIGHT CULTURE Culture During Crisis Know When to Reset Your Organization's Culture Final Reflections Resources for Implementation Action Steps PART II: VISITING YOUR VISION CHAPTER 3: BE THE LEADER OF CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVERS Recognize Opportunities for Creative Problem Solving Sustainability in Action Innovation, Invention, and Entrepreneurship in Action The Creativity, Innovation, Invention, and Entrepreneurship Challenge Creative Problem Solving and Your POG Final Reflections Action Steps CHAPTER 4: BE THE LEADER OF ENGAGED CITIZENS Ending the Civics Slide Get Your Community on Board Commit to Tackling Society's Biggest Challenges Set a Bold Civics Challenge Final Reflections Resources for Implementation Action Steps CHAPTER 5: BE THE LEADER OF SELF-DIRECTED YOUNG PEOPLE Take It Seriously Take It Deep Take It Wide Students as Change Agents Final Reflections Resources for Implementation Action Steps PART III: BUILDING YOUR VISION CHAPTER 6: BE THE LEADER OF BOLD LEARNING Design Backward From Your POG Set an Instructional Challenge Focus on Assessment Competency-Based Learning Final Reflections Resources for Implementation Action Steps CHAPTER 7: BE THE LEADER OF STRONG PARTNERSHIPS Partner With Families Enlist Business and Community Allies Leverage Networks Final Reflections Resources for Implementation Action Steps CHAPTER 8: YOUR NEXT STEPS AS A BOLD LEADER Focus on Your Students Focus on Your Community Focus on Your Green Light Culture Your Six Next Steps as a Bold Leader Momentum Is Growing Final Reflections Appendix A: Discussion Guide Appendix B: Help Students Develop Their Competencies Appendix C: Engage Parents as Partners Appendix D: List of Interviewees References

Fasten your seatbelt! This book brings clarity and insight to education priorities that prepare students for their futures, and pragmatic guidance for how schools can fulfill this promise. Grounded in decades of field expertise, the authors offer a powerful education North Star of immense value to educators, parents, and concerned citizens around the globe. -- Ted Dintersmith * Founder, What School Could Be, Author, What School Could Be * With the demands of the workplace never greater, and the need for effective citizenship never more urgent, the world demands a new generation of self-directed creative problem solvers. Redefining Student Success is the guide every leader needs to build an education system worthy of the students they serve. -- Daniel H. Pink * Author, When, Drive, and To Sell is Human, Washington, D.C. * We must reconsider what we're working towards in education and reorient towards a purpose that's relevant for today's world, with all its challenges and opportunities. Redefining Student Success is an incredible gift-it's a roadmap for educators and other stakeholders seeking to develop a shared vision of the capabilities students (and educators) need to develop so they can shape a better future. -- Wendy Kopp * CEO & Co-founder, Teach For All, Founder, Teach For America * Let's face it: most people know our schools can be better but they are not sure where to start. Redefining Student Success brings the steps for school transformation to life with sound advice, practical strategies, and rich stories sharing the whys and hows. -- Cindy Johanson * Executive Editor, Edutopia, San Rafael, CA * The global pandemic has created a cultural tipping point. Forced isolation has shone a spotlight on the critical need to accelerate our quest to improve the skills, knowledge, behaviors, and dispositions that will shape and prepare students for jobs, home, and societal responsibilities. With the imperative decisions school systems are making, Ken Kay and Suzie Boss provide a treasure trove of tools on behalf of district leaders who are working diligently to create bold, equity-focused, and futuristic initiatives in order to meet the growing demands of today's public education landscape. All children, no matter their zip codes, deserve every opportunity to turn their dreams into reality. Redefining Student Success can serve as a 'go-to' resource to help ensure that education for all learners becomes equitable, engaging, and authentic. -- Daniel A. Domenech * Executive Director, AASA, The School Superintendents Association * Ken Kay has long been a significant thought leader and contributor to advancing 21st century education. In this new book, Kay and Suzie Boss offer powerful stories of school system leaders engaged in 21st century, deeper learning and how the changes made have positively impacted young people. Their amazing examples of real work in districts across the country are inspiring! -- Karen K. Garza * President and CEO, Battelle for Kids * What if you could design schools where students were passionately invested in the learning process and in the meaningful outcomes of that process? The good news is you can. With powerful examples, reflection, and action tools, Ken Kay and Suzie Boss show us how to engage parents, teachers, students, and leaders in a critically important conversation about what learning must look like now and for our future. -- Aaron Spence * Superintendent, Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Virginia * Ken Kay and Suzie Boss bring home the point that leadership matters in promoting transformational change in school organizations. I love the 'ask yourself' sections of this book! They pose critical questions for reflection on the myriad ways in which education practitioners have worked to implement change in our nation's schools. -- David W. James * Superintendent, Akron Public Schools, Ohio * Redefining Student Success makes the case for why every student deserves equal access to 21st century learning experiences and provides leaders with a set of tools and strategies to make this vision a reality. -- Steven Holmes * Superintendent, Sunnyside Unified School District, Arizona * As we emerge from a global pandemic, we have the opportunity to 'reopen the schools of the future.' Ken Kay and Suzie Boss provide a clear path forward for educators to solidify the best we've learned about 21st century education. Brilliantly written and easy to navigate, let this book be your GPS for true educational transformation. -- Michael R. McCormick * Superintendent, Val Verde Unified School District, California * Ken Kay and Suzie Boss have created a practical path that has the potential to transform American education. It includes an inspiring vision, vital components of change, and a realistic path forward. It is the long, overdue bridge from ideas to implementation. Redefining Student Success supports teachers and leaders in their journeys to create modern, personalized education for all students. -- Elizabeth Fagen * Superintendent, Humble ISD, Texas * When two authorities on 21st century skills and project-based learning join forces, the whole can be greater than the parts-and that is the case with this book. Ken Kay and Suzie Boss bring their exceptional expertise together to offer a synthesized vision that can truly transform schooling. If you're ready to embark on the journey toward 'future proof' learning, this book is for you! -- Jay McTighe * Co-author, Understanding by Design (R) framework and Leading Modern Learning * The vision of education needs to change and to make that happen, it must engage the community in a robust conversation about what our students really need for college, life, and career. Ken Kay and Suzie Boss's book takes the premise that our new vision of education needs to be rooted in our communities and shows us what is possible as we build that vision and allow it to take root deeply in every phase of education. It turns out when the community is engaged in developing the vision, they become co-owners and help light the path for students to obtain the skills, mindsets, and dispositions they need to be successful. -- Cheryl Carrier * Executive Director, Ford Next Generation Learning * Redefining Student Success is an inspirational reminder that education is only limited by our vision, and teaching is first and foremost an act of leadership. -- John Wright, * Senior Director for Strategy, National Education Association * Ken Kay and Suzie Boss have both made so many helpful contributions to innovative learning and teaching. I love that they have teamed up. The strengths of this book are the specific strategies that help educators translate their visions for learning into concrete, actionable structures. The 'field trip' examples from schools across the country and the Portrait of a Graduate connections are fantastic!" -- Scott McLeod * Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, University of Colorado, Denver, Founding Director, CASTLE * For 20 years, Ken Kay has been the leading advocate for 21st century skills. Two decades into the century, Kay and Suzie Boss offer a timely update on what young people need to know and be able to do to thrive with a focus on creative problem solving and the addition of self-direction and civic engagement. This bold vision is a must read for any school or system reconsidering learning goals. We appreciate how the authors have incorporated sustainability, innovation, and entrepreneurship into a call for community-connected project-based learning. -- Tom Vander Ark * CEO, Getting Smart, Author, Difference-Making at the Heart of Learning * Ken Kay and Suzie Boss are veteran edu-leaders in our march to transform K-12 learning. In Redefining Student Success, they give school leaders a powerful, detailed, and ready-to-use set of tools to move beyond the 'why' and on to the 'how' of school change. The book provides a cornucopia of examples from schools, leaders, and teams that are already well on the way. -- Grant Lichtman * Chief Provocateur, Author, Thrive *