From connecting with other education leaders to creating a new model of professional development, where practitioners are the experts and professional educators help each other get better at their practice, the book is chock-full of real-world examples of this new kind of leadership.

Tech & Learning Leader

The popular moderators of the Twitter chat #suptchat, Michael Lubelfeld and Nick Polyak, have taken some of their social media musings to print. Their combined experiences as superintendents in suburban Chicago permeate the text, along with professional learning network contacts they befriended. The result is a highly practical book centered around the idea of ‘unlearning.’ ‘Unlearning That’s the Way We Have Always Done It’ is a chapter title that will ring true for many education leaders. The innovations in the duo’s school systems form the basis of the text, peppered with correlating research. At a realistic 97 pages, The Unlearning Leader is a just-right read for individual school leaders, a professional learning community and aspiring leaders in preparation programs.

School Administrator

The Unlearning Leader: Leading for Tomorrow’s Schools Today is a book that will make a difference. Unlearning implies relearning, and that relates to change. The once constant in education today is change. Leaders must know how people learn, communicate, and think. Nick and Mike are energetic, innovative, creative experts in promoting effective leadership that embraces today’s vastly different environment. This book is not an option – it is fundamental to building educational attitudes and behaviors that produce exceptional learners.

Jim Burgett, author, speaker, president of the Burgett Group, Illinois Superintendent of the Year

In The Unlearning Leader, the authors beautifully deconstruct some of the narratives of what many see as traditional schooling, and create a compelling narrative on why we need to embrace and create a new (and much better) narrative of K-12 education. With many powerful examples throughout the book, this book will spark many ideas on how you can create meaningful changes that will empower your students in a world that needs them to make a difference in the lives of others.

George Couros, Learner, Educator, and Innovative Teaching, Learning, and Leadership consultant; author, "The Innovator's Mindset"

Mike Lubelfeld and Nick Polyak are champions for children. As I travel across the country, I strongly encourage superintendents to stay engaged with professional peers within their regions, their respective states and throughout the country. Mike and Nick are doing just that. Through a variety of platforms, they're effectively leveraging the power of social media, which is why I applaud their efforts to 'celebrate the connected leader' in this book. They have mobilized scores of like-minded educators from coast to coast for a common cause — breaking down the barriers from education's bygone days and building a culture of innovation to create more opportunities for students to be successful.

Daniel A. Domenech, executive director, AASA, The School Superintendents Association; former school superintendent