After A.J. and I wrote LAUNCH, we knew there was a follow-up book that needed to be written. We wanted a book that went beyond design thinking and into the core convictions we share about teaching and learning.

That book is Empower: What Happens When Students Own Their Learning.

I can't wait to share it with all of you, and right now I'm just trying to act normal and calm as this book is almost ready to be released (anticipated date is June 15th). But right now, I'm excited and nervous and scared.

Here's the thing, this book is SO different.

So that is scary.

It is boldly visual and fast-paced reading (I'll send you a preview soon, so you can see what I mean). It is story-driven. It is built for sharing (both sharing the book with other people, and sharing pictures/ideas in the book). It is unlike any educational book I've ever seen.

Which is why we knew it needed to be written. But it's also why I'm freaking out a bit on what is going to happen when it is made available! We chose to take a huge creative risk. We wanted it to be wildly and unabashedly different and I'm hoping readers of LAUNCH will enjoy our follow-up.

For the last few weeks, I've been sharing some thoughts on this idea of empowering students, including this piece about my fearsaround student ownership. For the next few weeks, A.J. and I will continue sharing about this process.

Here's a video that highlights this shift from student engagement to student empowerment. If you connect at all with this video, please like it, comment on it, and share it out. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel as well.