For those who want to understand the vision and the journey toward a whole child education system, this book offers both a comprehensive picture and a vivid roadmap. A must-read for those who want to understand how educational change can connect young people to their community and their futures.

Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University

Strengthening public education is happening now. The work of AUHSD to create safe and welcoming, relevant and engaging schools where people—kids, educators, community—come first is yielding results. Barnett Berry, Mike Matsuda, and Michael Fullan help us see the what and why, along with how we can help it happen in many more communities.

Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers

Berry, Matsuda, and Fullan illuminate what’s possible when students, teachers, families, and communities work together around shared values and bold vision. Their focus on real-world learning, student voice, teacher leadership, and systemic collaboration offers inspiration and direction for every district.

Rebecca Pringle, National Education Association

The Future of Public Education is breakthrough work. Berry, Matsuda, and Fullan show us how Anaheim Union High School District is moving beyond incremental reform to genuine system transformation—placing students and teachers at the center, building community partnerships, and redefining success for the future.

David R. Schuler, The School Superintendents Association

Anaheim Union High School District has built partnerships rooted in trust with the community, that ensures high standards in teaching and learning are available to all students. This book examines AUHSD’s strategy to improve student outcomes over time. For educators and policy makers seeking to bring similar changes, this book is an invaluable resource.

Pedro Noguera, Rossier School of Education

The Future of Public Education offers a framework for leaders working to align vision, practice, and purpose in public education. It focuses on real-world implementation—how to create space for innovation, support teacher leadership, and engage students in meaningful learning. This book is a guide for those who shifting from fragmented efforts to coherent, student-centered systems.

Jill Gildea, Colorado Early Colleges

Berry, Matsuda, and Fullan share a compelling case study of a district taking risks and making progress that has implications for all our collective efforts. While there are many paths to success, common themes scream for our attention and connection to our own work.

Peter Dillon, Berkshire Hills Regional School District

Readable, rigorous, and refreshingly practical, this book speaks to everyone who cares about the future of public education. It reminds us that real transformation happens only when we learn from one another, and when teachers and students are engaged as co-pilots, shaping the journey ahead.

Pasi Sahlberg

As the leader of a business-lead collaborative, working to close the talent gap in America, Anaheim Union High School and Michael Matsuda are models of the future. This book is a must read for both educators and business leaders.

Douglas A. Wilson, The National Talent Collaborative

This account of Anaheim Union High School District’s transformational journey is inspiring and groundbreaking. This is a system-changing guidebook for those committed to redefining and advancing successful learning in an AI world for all young people, educators, and partners in public education.

Anthony Mackay, National Center on Education & the Economy

Berry, Matsuda, and Fullan remind us that the future of public education depends on cultivating students’ deepest capacities for meaning-making, purpose, and contribution. Drawing on the science of learning and development, including new science on the importance of adolescents’ opportunities for transcendent thinking, they show how schools can create the conditions for young people to thrive— intellectually, emotionally, and socially—by centering belonging, student voice, and real-world relevance. This inspiring account of Anaheim Union High School District’s transformation is a beacon for educators everywhere who are committed to designing learning environments that unlock human potential and prepare students to shape our shared future.

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, University of Southern California