Prepared: What Kids Need for a Fulfilled Life

A blueprint for how parents can stop worrying about their children’s future and start helping them prepare for it, from the cofounder and CEO of one of America’s most innovative public-school networks

＂A treasure trove of deeply practical wisdom that accords with everything I know about how children thrive.＂--Angela Duckworth, New York Times bestselling author of Grit

In 2003, Diane Tavenner cofounded the first school in what would soon become one of America’s most innovative public-school networks. Summit Public Schools has since won national recognition for its exceptional outcomes: Ninety-nine percent of students are accepted to a four-year college, and they graduate from college at twice the national average.

But in a radical departure from the environments created by the college admissions arms race, Summit students aren’t focused on competing with their classmates for rankings or test scores. Instead, students spend their days solving real-world problems and developing the skills of self-direction, collaboration, and reflection, all of which prepare them to succeed in college, thrive in today’s workplace, and lead a secure and fulfilled life.

Through personal stories and hard-earned lessons from Summit’s exceptional team of educators and diverse students, Tavenner shares the learning philosophies underlying the Summit model and offers a blueprint for any parent who wants to stop worrying about their children’s future--and start helping them prepare for it.

At a time when many students are struggling to regain educational and developmental ground lost to the disruptions of the pandemic, Prepared is more urgent and necessary than ever.

Diane Tavenner is the cofounder and CEO of Summit Public Schools, a nationally recognized nonprofit that operates fifteen middle and high schools in California and Washington. She developed a school model centered on real-world experiences, self-direction, collaboration, and reflection--preparing all students to succeed in college, thrive in today’s workplace, and lead a secure and fulfilled life. Summit has earned many accolades and distinctions, most notably America’s Best High Schools from U.S. News & World Report, America’s Most Challenging High Schools by TheWashington Post, and one of the world’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Education by Fast Company. A lifelong educator, Tavenner spent a decade as a school teacher, administrator, and leader in traditional urban and suburban public schools throughout California. She is on the board of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. She has a degree in psychology and sociology from USC and a master’s in administration and policy from Stanford University.