How can we move beyond one-size-fits-all teaching approaches to honor each student’s individual strengths? What does the science of learning tell us about effective teaching and studying? Can we create environments that foster both academic excellence and personal growth?
We’ve put together a list of some of the best books on education that answer these questions and many more. Regardless of your role in the learning process, we bet you’ll find something that enlightens and inspires you.
Table of Contents
Best Books for Teachers, Students, Parents, & Policymakers
Education today faces unprecedented challenges that demand thoughtful examination from multiple perspectives. Whether you’re a teacher navigating classroom dynamics, a student seeking to understand your educational journey, a parent supporting your child’s learning, or a policymaker shaping educational systems, the right books can help you grasp the complexities of modern education.
The following selections tackle some of the most pressing issues in contemporary education. These works don’t just diagnose problems; they offer pathways toward understanding how education can fulfill its highest purpose. Each book provides a different lens through which to examine how we can better serve learners at every level while preserving the fundamental values that make education truly transformative.
The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff & Jonathan Haidt
Since the 2016 election, America has witnessed college campus protests against “controversial” or “dangerous” speakers. The Coddling of the American Mind explores this phenomenon, showing how a set of dangerous and false beliefs has taken root in the minds of today’s college students, convincing these young people that they are inherently fragile and must be protected from the allegedly harmful impacts of speech with which they disagree. This attitude threatens academic freedom, undermines democracy, and is ultimately harmful to the social and emotional development of today’s youth. Take a look at Shortform’s guide to this book.
Educated by Tara Westover
Educated: A Memoir is Tara Westover’s autobiography. In it, she shows us her transformation from being the daughter of survivalist, fundamentalist, anti-science, anti-medicine, and anti-education parents, to becoming a Cambridge-educated historian. Westover gains the strength to break free from the ideological chains of her youth and discovers the agency to make her own choices about how she sees and experiences the world.
While it is about one individual’s journey, Educated speaks to universal themes of self-liberation, the power of education, the perils of extreme ideology, and the trauma of domestic abuse. Check out Shortform’s guide to the book.
Excellent Sheep by William Deresiewicz
Elite colleges and universities in the US typically accept less than 10% of applicants, but their influence stretches far beyond this small group. In Excellent Sheep, author and former Yale professor William Deresiewicz makes the case that these institutions’ influence is negative. He argues that they’re so selective and profit-oriented that they contribute to social inequality and deprive students of high-quality learning.
In Shortform’s guide to this book, we examine two problems with elite US colleges and universities and explain why Deresiewicz claims they harm both society and students. Then, we explore solutions by describing how governments, schools, and parents can collectively overhaul US higher education—and how today’s students can make the most of their college years in the meantime. As we explore these ideas, we fact-check the author’s claims by providing both supportive evidence and counterexamples. We also discuss ways in which some elite US schools have changed since the publication of Excellent Sheep in 2014. Furthermore, we supplement the author’s ideas with actionable steps.
Best Books for Teachers
Teaching is both an art and a science, requiring educators to master not only their subject matter but also the complex dynamics of how students learn, engage, and thrive in the classroom. The books in this section offer teachers research-backed strategies and innovative approaches to improve their practice and maximize student success.
Whether you’re looking for practical classroom management techniques, ways to energize student participation through interactive methods, or frameworks for creating more inclusive and joyful learning environments, these selections provide both the theoretical foundation and actionable strategies that effective teaching demands. Each book recognizes that great teaching goes beyond one-size-fits-all approaches, instead offering tools to meet students where they are and help them reach their potential through individualized, evidence-based instruction.
The End of Average by Todd Rose
If you’re like most people, you’ve been judged in comparison to the average for your entire life. In school, your performance was defined by your difference from the average student. At work, your manager might judge your performance with benchmarks calibrated to the average worker. However, psychologist Todd Rose argues in The End of Average that our blind faith in the average as a tool to understand people has led to deep-seated structural problems in society—problems that encourage conformity and diminish our unique strengths.
In Shortform’s guide to this book, you’ll learn how treating students as individuals can unlock their potential, and why companies can profit by hiring employees from unique backgrounds rather than top schools. In our commentary, we expand our view of individuality in education and business with books such as Excellent Sheep and Linchpin. We also investigate research that supports, challenges, and clarifies Rose’s societal critiques.
The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler
Many modern teaching approaches emphasize developing broad comprehension skills over building subject knowledge. However, in The Knowledge Gap, Natalie Wexler challenges this premise. She argues that focusing on general literacy skills overlooks the pivotal role knowledge plays in understanding written material.
Drawing insights from cognitive research, Wexler explains why equipping students with extensive background knowledge is crucial for achieving genuine reading proficiency. She highlights various educational methods that undermine knowledge-building, from leveled reading texts that restrict exposure to complex material, to a fixation on teaching comprehension strategies isolated from content. Wexler advocates for a comprehensive curricular redesign that prioritizes systematically imparting robust knowledge across all grade levels. Check out Shortform’s guide to this book.
Teach Like a Champion 3.0 by Doug Lemov
In Teach Like a Champion 3.0, Doug Lemov provides a practical handbook for teachers seeking to improve their instructional techniques and classroom management. The first part of the book outlines strategies for designing effective lessons—from questioning methods that foster student engagement to writing exercises that solidify comprehension.
The second part explores techniques for gauging student understanding, responding to errors productively, and motivating learners with specific praise. Lemov also shares insights on creating a classroom atmosphere of trust and order, balancing warmth with high expectations. Take a look at Shortform’s guide to the book.
Uncommon Sense Teaching by Barbara Oakley, Beth Rogowsky, & Terrence J. Sejnowski
Teachers and students alike often struggle. What if that’s because our ideas about teaching are all wrong? In Uncommon Sense Teaching, learning experts Barbara Oakley and Beth Rogowsky team up with neuroscientist Terrence Sejnowski to explain how your brain actually processes and stores information. They also provide practical, science-based strategies to help you harness your brain’s natural learning mechanisms.
In Shortform’s guide to the book, we explain how learning works in a neurological sense and discuss the two main systems your brain uses to learn new information. Then, we explore various ways to create a healthy and effective learning environment for others. In our commentary, we go into greater detail about the scientific reasons behind the authors’ methods. We also compare and contrast their ideas with those of other influential books on education, such as Jim Kwik’s Limitless and Oakley’s own A Mind for Numbers. Finally, we suggest some actionable ways to improve your own learning and teaching skills.
Unearthing Joy by Gholdy Muhammad
In Unearthing Joy, Gholdy Muhammad presents an urgent call for transforming education to be responsive to students’ diverse cultures, histories, and lived experiences. Shortform’s guide to the book explores Muhammad’s framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Education (CHRE), exploring the systemic issues that have hindered inclusive education and providing strategies for fostering identity, skills, intellect, criticality, and joy in learning.
Muhammad offers a roadmap for implementing CHRE through self-reflection, culturally relevant curricula, collaborative teaching methods, and stakeholder engagement. With insight from research and personal experiences, she advocates for an educational paradigm that celebrates student brilliance, nurtures a passion for learning, and empowers learners to become agents of positive change.
Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids by Chris Biffle
The Whole Brain Teaching approach aims to energize and engage students through interactive teaching techniques and lively classroom activities. Chris Biffle outlines strategies to invigorate students’ focus and participation by integrating physical gestures, visuals, and team activities into the lesson delivery.
Biffle grounds the pedagogy in educational theories such as Vygotsky’s “Zone of Proximal Development” and Wenger’s “Community of Practice,” arguing that collaboration and guidance from more knowledgeable peers enhance learning and retention. The book presents a structured framework for managing behavior through consistent routines, shared goals, and a points-based reward system that motivates students. Check out Shortform’s guide to the book.
Best Books for Students
Academic success doesn’t require endless studying; it requires the right strategies. The books we selected reveal science-backed techniques that help students work smarter, not harder, to achieve their educational goals. Whether you’re struggling with ineffective study methods, battling procrastination and stress, or simply wanting to maximize your learning, these books have solutions for mastering note-taking, understanding how your brain learns, acing exams, and writing excellent papers. Each book demonstrates that anyone—regardless of natural ability or past performance—can achieve academic success while maintaining balance in their life.
How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport
Getting good grades in college opens up your world: It can help you get into better graduate schools and even get better jobs. But how do you do well in college? Most students assume they must study endlessly to do well. However, in How to Become a Straight-A Student, professor and productivity expert Cal Newport argues that there’s a better way: With the right study techniques, you can ace your college courses with just a few hours of studying each day.
In Shortform’s guide to this book, we share those study techniques. You’ll learn how to plan your day effectively, combat procrastination, ace all your exams, and write fantastic papers. Along the way, we explore how Newport fleshes out these ideas further in his blog posts and his other books, and we examine how his recommendations compare to those of other academic experts.
How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens
In How to Take Smart Notes, researcher Sönke Ahrens argues that traditional, prewriting note-taking methods don’t work—and that you can avoid this issue by using the slip-box system: a method of taking notes and organizing them that fosters the creation and publication of original ideas.
In Shortform’s guide to this book, you’ll learn how to use the slip-box system effectively and why it’s better than traditional note-taking methods. Along the way, we examine how Ahrens’s techniques compare with the advice of other experts—so you can write your next paper in the most efficient way possible.
Learning How to Learn by Barbara Oakley and Terrence Sejnowski
According to Barbara Oakley, anyone can master any subject by applying good study techniques. You don’t have to be gifted or have natural abilities in a particular subject to excel at it. And Oakley should know: She failed math in high school, but later overcame her fear of numbers and eventually earned a doctorate degree in engineering.
In this book, Oakley and co-author Terrence Sejnowski explain study tactics that you can use to excel in whatever you’re learning. To make them immediately applicable, we’ve organized our guide to the book as a list of actionable study tips, and we’ve cross-referenced the authors’ advice with other sources, such as Why We Sleep (which discusses the importance of sleep to learning) and the work of psychologist Edward de Bono, who advises on how to alternate between modes of thinking to get the most out of your learning.
The Only Study Guide You’ll Ever Need by Jade Bowler
School is one of the biggest stressors that young people face. Receiving good grades impacts career success, and as a result, the education system expects school to be students’ top priority despite their non-academic obligations. This pressure often makes young people chronically overwhelmed, and they consequently struggle to perform well in school. However, in The Only Study Guide You’ll Ever Need, Jade Bowler explains that school doesn’t have to be this way. If students learn how to effectively manage their mindset, study habits, and time, they can minimize their stress and live a balanced life while excelling in school.
Shortform’s guide to this book discusses how to manage your mindset so that prominent issues such as fear of failure, lack of motivation, and procrastination don’t sabotage your success. We also discuss science-backed time management and study techniques that will help you ace your exams. Throughout the guide, we supplement Bowler’s advice with recommendations from productivity experts such as Neil A. Fiore (The Now Habit) and David Allen (Getting Things Done).
More Recommended Reading for Students
Check out our article “The 16 Best Books for Students: From Middle School to College” to learn about several books that can help students—not just learn—but thrive on their educational journey.
Wrapping Up
Education remains one of humanity’s most powerful tools for personal transformation and societal progress, but realizing its potential requires continuous learning and adaptation from all of us involved in the educational process. The books in this collection offer more than just insights—they provide actionable pathways toward creating more effective, inclusive, and meaningful educational experiences. Let us know in the comments what you believe are some of the best books on education.
