About the Book
Proven methods, hard-won lessons, and practical tools to create a better future of education Extraordinary Learning for All delivers a hopeful, humane, realistic, and compelling portrait for how we must reinvent schooling for a new century, drawing on the voices and experiences of real school communities who are on that journey and illuminating the specific actions that school and system leaders can take to spark these journeys in their communities. Written by the cofounders and Chief Learning Officer of Transcend, a leading nonprofit in school innovation, this book provides solutions to the major problems we face in education, including approaches that: ● Reverse declining enrollment rates and chronic truancy, especially in large urban districts, through better student engagement ● Mitigate our national mental health crisis through school designs that address higher-than-ever-rates of boredom, stress, and chronic anxiety ● Engage and collaborate with parents and communities to improve local schools ● Uplift the voices and expertise of teachers, 300,000 of whom left the profession between 2020-2022
About the Author :
Jenee Henry Wood is Chief Learning Officer at Transcend. She is also coauthor of the forthcoming book (Jossey-Bass, 2024), Extraordinary Learning for All: How Communities Design Schools Where Everyone Thrives. Jenee started her career as an educator in Atlanta and has been nationally recognized for outstanding teaching. Jenee studied economics and Russian at Sarah Lawrence and at Oxford. While living in the United Kingdom, she also served as a cellist in the Oxford University Orchestra and is a life member of the Oxford Union debating society. She lives in New Haven, Connecticut. Jeff Wetzler has been on a quarter-century quest to transform learning opportunities and unlock human potential. Blending a unique set of leadership experiences in the fields of business and education, he's pursued this quest as a management consultant to the world's top corporations, as a learning facilitator for leaders around the world, as Chief Learning Officer at Teach For America, and currently, as co-CEO of Transcend, a nationally recognized innovation organization. Jeff earned a Doctorate in Adult Learning and Leadership from Columbia University and a Bachelor's in Psychology from Brown University. He is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and is an Edmund Hillary Fellow. Jeff lives in New York with his wife, two children, and their puppy. Aylon Samouha serves as the CEO of Transcend. With a commitment to ensuring all students receive the education they deserve, Aylon has dedicated his career to driving transformative change in American schooling. In 2015, he and Jeff Wetzler cofounded Transcend, an organization established on the belief that realizing the infinite potential of all students requires us to reimagine "schooling" as we know it. Through direct partnerships with schools and districts, democratizing design supports, and influencing the broader ecosystem, Transcend supports communities across the country to create and spread extraordinary, equitable learning environments. Since 2015, Transcend has partnered with over 380 schools and districts across the country and has built a network of 12,000 systems leaders, school leaders, and other education innovators. Before cofounding Transcend, Aylon served as the Chief Schools Officer at Rocketship Education, where he led the highest performing network of low-income schools in California. Additionally, Aylon spent several years as a Senior Vice President at Teach For America, directing pre-service institutes and service development for teachers. Aylon's expertise and insights have been widely recognized, and he has been invited to speak at various convenings, including the ASU+GSV conference, The New Schools Venture Fund Summit, Digital Promise's Annual Convening, and numerous others dedicated to advancing education innovation globally. Aylon also serves on the board of Leading Educators. Aylon holds a BA in English from Columbia University. He delights in his roles as husband and father and is an accomplished jazz guitarist, captivating audiences throughout the Chicago area with his performances. Tyanni Mah is a professionally trained voice actor, nurse practitioner, and tea enthusiast. She draws from her experiences in theater, creative writing, and patient care to deliver genuine performances. She loves the privilege of being able to use her voice to bring your stories and passion to life! Tyanni can be heard in commercials, video game/visual novels, independent animation projects, and eLearning. Her voice has been described as dynamic, warm, and engaging. She has narrated titles across genres, from science fiction and thriller to medical nonfiction. As a Miami native, she speaks conversational Spanish, and has provided voice acting services in both English and Spanish. She uses a pseudonym to narrate extremely spicy content. Outside of the booth, Tyanni enjoys teaching the next generation of nurses, indulging in a new show or book while drinking a hot cup of tea, and continuing the battle of trying to roll out beautifully round roti for her family to enjoy. She enjoys gardening, collecting beautiful tarot decks, and cooking for her family, especially dishes that pass on her Indo-Jamaican roots to her little ones. Tyanni Mah is a professionally trained voice actor, nurse practitioner, and tea enthusiast. She draws from her experiences in theater, creative writing, and patient care to deliver genuine performances. She loves the privilege of being able to use her voice to bring your stories and passion to life! Tyanni can be heard in commercials, video game/visual novels, independent animation projects, and eLearning. Her voice has been described as dynamic, warm, and engaging. She has narrated titles across genres, from science fiction and thriller to medical nonfiction. As a Miami native, she speaks conversational Spanish, and has provided voice acting services in both English and Spanish. She uses a pseudonym to narrate extremely spicy content. Outside of the booth, Tyanni enjoys teaching the next generation of nurses, indulging in a new show or book while drinking a hot cup of tea, and continuing the battle of trying to roll out beautifully round roti for her family to enjoy. She enjoys gardening, collecting beautiful tarot decks, and cooking for her family, especially dishes that pass on her Indo-Jamaican roots to her little ones.
