The Agentic Schools Manifesto Book

Immerse yourself in a visionary blueprint that dares to place agency at the heart of education. With the Agentic Schools Manifesto, you're not just reading a book; you're unlocking a new realm of educational possibilities. Consider this manifesto your compass guiding us towards a future where academics serve as supportive actors, rather than the stars, in the enlightening drama of schooling.

This is not a mere hypothesis—it's a movement birthed from the profound wisdom of alternative educators from around the world, ready to disrupt how we perceive, deliver, and experience education.

For too long, our classrooms have been arenas of compliance.  

Where is the vibrant, living joy of learning?  

How can we reignite the inherent curiosity in our children?

Rooted in the pioneering science of Self-Determination Theory, this book challenges the bedrock of modern education. It’s a clarion call to awaken the inherent power of agency in every student. Discover an invigorating new paradigm where academics are no longer the main attraction but a critical support to the star of the show: student agency.

Has the quest for higher test scores eclipsed the true spirit of education in our schools? Don Berg, an award-winning author, says “Yes,” and he's not standing by idly. Experience the boldly revolutionary vision for K-12 schools in The Agentic Schools Manifesto.

Berg answers these questions with a strategic plan deftly woven from over a century of educational insight. His take? We can prevent the otherwise inevitable falling short of the Science of Reading, not because its five core principles are flawed, but due to its ignorance of one fundamental truth—motivation can't be sidelined.

Feel the frustrations of educators who witness the snuffing out of creativity. Join hands with those who cringe at the sight of students' passions dimmed by the relentless grind of rote learning. You are not alone in yearning for an education system that cultivates thinkers and doers, not just test-takers.

In The Agentic Schools Manifesto, find the artillery to combat the disappointments of a school climate that's stifled by scores and devoid of soul. Unveil a plan that scales from the intimacy of the classroom to the breadth of global policy.

Agentic Schools aren't a dream of the distant future.  

They are a tangible vision being realized today in schools around the globe.

Stand with Don Berg and reclaim the noble mission of education. With The Agentic Schools Manifesto, transform frustration into action, rekindle joy, and rewrite the story of K-12 schooling. For educators, policymakers, principals, and superintendents alike, it's not just a manifesto—it's a strategic revolution.

Why has, as historian Larry Cuban put it, “... the age-graded school and the grammar of schooling remain[ed] secure,” despite over 130 years of reform efforts from every corner of society and the industry?

Back in 1938 John Dewey predicted that the school system would be reform-proof until a specific theoretical key to understanding education was found.

Unfortunately, everyone seems to have forgotten his prediction and as a result failed to look for that key to making systemic changes.

That key, a theory of experience, has been found according to Don Berg, author of The Agentic Schools Manifesto.

Dewey's challenge was inadvertently answered by research into motivation, not education.

In short, experiences are educative when primary psychological needs are satisfied, motivations are autonomous, and engagement is agentic.

The rampant disengagement of a majority of both students and teachers is clear, long-established evidence that most schools throughout the world are organized in ways that undermine all three of those factors.

Success happens in spite of the system, not because of it.

That can change, but only if the missing theory of experience that Dewey called for is recognized as a new paradigm for schooling.