Shannon Buerk Puts Education Intelligence in K-12 Leaders’ Hands with New Book on Smart Professional Growth for Educators

Inspired by the mission to elevate teachers as talent and set measured talent development as the standard for professional learning, Buerk created Connect the Dots to re-envision the one-size-fits-all approach to professional development that often fails to deliver quantifiable growth. The smart professional learning detailed in Connect the Dots gives rise to what Buerk has coined Education Intelligence, equipping leaders with a method for gathering and utilizing the formative professional growth analytics they need to optimize outcomes for students and educators.   

“If you are a leader in education, this book is a must read. It will challenge your traditional paradigms of thinking and provide you with concrete steps to transform learning in ways that captivate both the students and the educators you lead,” said Dr. Steven Wurtz, Chief Academic Officer at Arlington ISD. “Shannon takes what we all know to be true about teaching and learning and moves beyond rhetoric to action. She provides meaningful solutions to the challenges we all face in schools today. When leaders apply what she has articulated in these pages, it results in improved outcomes and deeply engaged learners.”  

Topics covered in the book include:

• Accelerating results with the Engage Growth Method
• Addressing teacher attrition through smart professional development
• Employing evidence-based coaching and recognition systems
• Analyzing formative professional growth data to drive results

“We owe educators the opportunity to get excited about their advancement and growth, and leaders need the insights from Education Intelligence to transform the traditional professional learning experience,” said Buerk. “Connect the Dots gives leaders an action plan to modernize and measure professional growth for their staff and catalyze the outcomes everyone wants. Leaders and educators face an ever-growing list of challenges, and this book offers forward-thinking tools to empower them to achieve amazing results.”  

As the founder and CEO of engage2learn and an educator for 28 years, Buerk leads an organization that has served 300 public school districts, 1,800 schools, and 79,000 educators to impact the education of more than 4.5 million students nationwide. Since its founding in 2011, engage2learn has grown into an educational culture leader that integrates professional growth analytics with optimized student and staff outcomes. A recognized expert in her field, Buerk has authored in-depth leadership resources, served as a keynote speaker at industry-leading events, and received numerous awards.  

Now, with Connect the Dots, Buerk brings education leaders a step-by-step playbook to modernize talent development by leveraging competency-based, adaptive professional learning for educators that translates to measurable growth for students and staff. Every chapter of Connect the Dots includes guiding questions, real-world examples, and an action plan so leaders can implement their strategy immediately and with fidelity. Designed to strengthen leaders’ efforts to cultivate high-performance cultures and shape the future of learning, the book provides a roadmap to create actionable insights about what is working and what is not.  

Connect the Dots: Utilize Education Intelligence to Accelerate Growth, Retain Talent, and Optimize Outcomes is available today on Amazon. To learn more, visit https://connectthedotsbook.org.