Harnessing the Science of Learning

Success Stories to Help Kickstart Your School Improvement

By: Nathaniel Swain

Narrated by: Grant Cartwright

Drawing together the worlds of classroom practice, school leadership, and scientific research, this is an essential how-to guide for initiating and maintaining a school improvement journey based on the science of learning.

What we now know about learning and teaching is vast; yet often, wading through the thousands of articles and books on this subject can leave even the most seasoned educator overwhelmed. This guide instead offers a distillation of key understandings―for teaching, literacy, mathematics, curriculum, and implementation―to launch your school improvement work.

Harnessing the Science of Learning also features contributions from thought leaders across the fields of learning sciences and educational practice: Pamela Snow, Tanya Serry, Zach Groshell, Reid Smith, Toni Hatten-Roberts, Simon Breakspear, Katie Roberts-Hull, David Morkunas, Steven Capp, Shane Pearson, and Eamon Charles.

This book illustrates practical ways to harness this knowledge, using a series of exemplary school case studies. These insightful narratives of transformation are interwoven with summaries of powerful teaching practices, forming a roadmap to drive improvement.

©2025 Nathaniel Swain (P)2025 Highbridge Audio

Practical, feasible strategies for immediate improvement

I’m about to start re-listening to this book, and have already ordered the print version as well. I deeply appreciate how the Science of Reading is solidly embedded here within the larger science of learning, including the need for a rich knowledge-based curriculum. I love how the cognitive sciences are applied to school through a solid literacy lens, because much of what I’ve seen on the science of learning has focused on content areas rather than literacy. And much of what I’ve seen on the science of reading and writing has ignored content and knowledge building. I will be recommending this book to anyone who works in education space, at any level. It ties together different strands of what we know about the effective school improvement that results in our kids learning the knowledge and skills they need to thrive. I think it is particularly helpful to educators who fear that explicit instruction robs their students of autonomy or the joy of learning, such as what they imagine kids get from inquiry or project-based learning. Instead, the author makes it clear that evidence-based instruction is our vehicle to joyful, empowered students whose education isn’t limited by their postal code or socioeconomic circumstances. The case studies of school success are inspiring and relatable to a wide range of schools. The book is a wonderful call to action. It complements and ties together a wide range of other books, such as The Writing Revolution, The Knowledge Gap, Teach Like A Champion, Responsive Teaching, and Anita Archer’s Explicit Instruction.