Teaching

EdWeek’s Ultimate PD Reading List Is Here

By Olina Banerji — July 09, 2026 2 min read
A summer scene of sunny blue skies and flowers with several book titles overlayed on top. Titles include: Leaders Eat Last, Power Up Your Math Community, I Love This Place, Just Do This, Rethinking Mathematics and Disability, Intentional Moves: How Skillful Team Leaders Impact Learning, The Kids Who Aren't Okay, Write Beside Them, How Children Succeed, Get Better Faster 2.0, Leadershift, The Digital Delusion, Anxious Generation, and Portrait of a Leader
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Dear reader,

A few weeks ago, we asked if you had a favorite book on professional development. We expected you to hum and haw over the response. We expected to hear a few well-loved but often-quoted names. We expected the summer sluggishness to take over.

Boy, were we wrong!

Your recommendations flooded in, complete with thoughtful descriptions of the books you named. We can’t wait to add to that list (scroll down to see how you can add to the library).

In the meantime, we’ve organized the full list, by theme, for you below. Plus, don’t miss the chance to ask a popular author your burning questions about education, leadership, and teaching.

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Mathematics, reading and writing

Rethinking Mathematics and Disability by Rachel Lambert
Power Up Your Math Community by Holly Burwell and Sue Chapman
Developing Mathematical Reasoning by Pam Harris
Reading for Understanding by Cynthia Greenleaf, Lynn Murphy, and Ruth Schoenbach
Write Beside Them by Penny Kittle
Just Read It by Jarred Amato
Poetry Pauses by Brett Vogelsinger
Not Your Granny’s Grammar by Patty McGee and Tim Donohue
The Writing Revolution 2.0” by Judith Hochman

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Classroom management and school culture

Teach Like a Champion by Doug Lemov
Always a Lesson: Teacher Essentials for Classroom and Career Success by Gretchen Bridgers
The Illustrated Guide to Visible Learning by John Hattie
Small Moves, Big Gains by Lindsay Mötley

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Leadership and motivation

The Wisdom of the Bullfrog: Leadership Made Simple (But Not Easy) by Admiral William H. McRaven
The Aspiring Principal 50::Critical Questions for New and Future School Leaders by Baruti Kafele
Turning Short-Term Wins into Long-Term Success in Schools by Douglas B. Reeves and Robert Eaker
Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
I Love This Place by Patrick Erwin
Leadershift by John Maxwell
The Vision Equation: Unlocking Excellence by Charles K. Longshore
Get Better Faster 2.0 by Paul Bambrick Santoyo
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
Portrait of a Leader by KnowledgeWorks
Whatever it is I’m against it: Resistance to Change in Higher Education by Brian Rosenberg
The Leadership Challenge by Barry Posner and James M. Kouzes
UDL Now! by Katie Novak
Intentional Moves: How Skillful Team Leaders Impact Learning by Elisa B. MacDonald

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Technology and AI

Critical AI in K–12 classrooms: A Practical Guide for Cultivating Justice and Joy by Marie K. Heath and Stephanie Smith Budhai
Artful AI in Writing Instruction by Brett Vogelsinger

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Help us grow the book club by dropping your recommendations below.

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