Our interest in writing this book is the direct result of having been profoundly and positively impacted by the members of our personal and professional learning networks. It could not have been written without their support, wisdom, insights, and modeling. We consider ourselves fortunate indeed to be connected to thousands of educators around the world who are giants in our profession and we wish to acknowledge their contributions in making this book a reality. Many of these educators are referenced by name within the pages of this book; to those educators, we are grateful for your inspiration. To the thousands of others whose contributions were equally impactful, but whose names are missing herein, we salute you as well.
In addition to acknowledging the important contributions of our extended learning networks, we also wish to acknowledge the following people for ongoing support above and beyond what one should reasonably expect: Jimmy wants to express his deepest appreciation to the administrative and secretarial team at Bettendorf High School for their support, including Joy Kelly, Kevin Skillett, Kristy Cleppe, Colin Wikan, Sarah Peakin, and Kathy Ouellette as well as the entire faculty and staff for their commitment to excellence. Their passion, pride, and support for all students are both admired and appreciated. Jeff wishes to acknowledge the amazing educators serving in Deerfield (IL) Public Schools District 109 who work tirelessly on a daily basis to connect the most important people of all—our students—to the world of learning that surrounds them.
Finally, the authors wish to acknowledge the contributions and support of the team at Routledge Press, including Lauren Davis, whose close reading and editing of the manuscript and insightful suggestions improved it immensely.