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Suggested Reading

For more than three decades, the founders and educators of Horizons have continued to grow in their expertise as teachers and communicators. The books and research below have shaped our approach to teaching and learning, and they help explain why it works.

The Books Behind Our Approach: A Bibliography of Child-Centered Education

Foundations

  • Dewey, John. Experience and Education (1938). A short, readable explanation of what progressive education is, and what it isn't.
  • Piaget, Jean, and Barbel Inhelder. The Psychology of the Child (1969). Explains how children build understanding actively, in stages, rather than absorbing it passively.
  • Holt, John. How Children Learn (1967). Observations on children's natural curiosity and how adults can support it.

Grading, Homework, and Rewards

  • Kohn, Alfie. Punished by Rewards (1993). Shows how bribes and praise can undermine lasting motivation.
  • Vatterott, Cathy. Rethinking Homework (2009). Practical guidance for making homework purposeful and humane.
  • Blum, Susan D., ed. Ungrading (2020). Educators describe moving beyond traditional grades, and what happened.

Motivation and How Children Learn

  • Deci, Edward, with Richard Flaste. Why We Do What We Do (1995). Makes the case that autonomy drives lasting motivation.
  • Dweck, Carol. Mindset (2006). Explores how beliefs about ability shape effort and resilience.
  • Gray, Peter. Free to Learn (2013). Argues that play is central to how children learn and grow.
  • Greene, Ross. Lost at School (2008). Advocates solving problems with struggling children instead of punishing behavior.

Social-Emotional Learning

  • Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence (1995). The book that brought emotional skills like self-awareness and empathy into the conversation about education.
  • Brackett, Marc. Permission to Feel (2019). A research-based guide to helping children and adults understand and manage emotions.
  • Siegel, Daniel, and Tina Payne Bryson. The Whole-Brain Child (2011). Explains how brain development shapes emotions and behavior, with practical strategies for parents and teachers.

Progressive School Practice

  • Meier, Deborah. The Power of Their Ideas (1995). The story of small, democratic public schools in Harlem and East Boston.
  • Berger, Ron. An Ethic of Excellence (2003). A master teacher on building a culture of high-quality student work.
  • Ritchhart, Ron. Creating Cultures of Thinking (2015). Shows how classroom routines can make thinking visible and valued.

Early Childhood and Classroom Community

  • Edwards, Carolyn, Lella Gandini, and George Forman, eds. The Hundred Languages of Children (1993). The foundational English-language introduction to the Reggio Emilia approach.
  • Charney, Ruth Sidney. Teaching Children to Care (1991). A guide to building a respectful, responsive classroom community.

Equity and Creativity

  • Delpit, Lisa. Other People's Children (1995). Examines power, culture, and communication in classrooms.
  • Robinson, Ken, with Lou Aronica. Creative Schools (2015). Makes the case for personalized, creativity-centered education.