" Rigor Redefined is going to be such an invaluable resource for our district work as a professional learning community. The multitude of effective strategies and habits shared in this book can be used at any grade level and with any content. We will be able to support teachers as they make small shifts in classroom practices to ensure our students become experts of their own learning." -- Julie Moore , Assistant Superintendent for Liberty Public Schools, Missouri "This book is a comprehensive and essential guide that provides actionable insights, protocols, sentence stems, questions, and habits that empower educators to inspire all students to apply deep learning effectively." -- Erik Youngman , Director of Teaching and Learning, Zion Elementary School District 6, Illinois "McDowell is one of the most exciting and inspiring thinkers in education today. In Rigor Redefined, he challenges assumptions with research and provides a vision for what powerful student-centered learning can look like in every classroom. This book is valuable for every educator, and it is one that can help us re-envision what school can be in the current cultural and technological moment." -- Paul Rutishauser , EdD, Director of Secondary Education, Ceres Unified School District, California " Rigor Redefined clearly and practically outlines the impact of a well-balanced pedagogical approach with teacher agency at the center.

By providing structured protocols to support students in navigating levels of complexity, McDowell drives home the importance of flexibility in instructional practices. This book provides a tangible framework for establishing small, doable habits in the classroom that yield big results." -- Christine Hanley , Instructional Coach, United Federation of Teachers, New York "This book provides teachers with concrete instructional strategies across the surface, deep, and transfer spectrum. McDowell emphasizes the importance of balancing the development of students' dispositional habits, like engaging metacognition and navigating challenges, with competency-based habits to build knowledge and apply conceptual understanding." -- Jenni Donohoo , Educational Consultant and Author, Collective Efficacy: How Educators' Beliefs Impact Student Learning.