This special e-book collection of articles from Educational Leadership and other ASCD publications examines the kinds of challenges that best prepare students for college, the world of work, and life. The authors examine what excellence and high performance mean in various schools and settings around the world and explore how to make learning richer and more thought-provoking through both rigorous curriculum and formative assessment.

They look at some ways that both elementary and secondary school teachers can teach problem-solving and innovative and analytical thinking, and they consider how to challenge students preparing for college as well as those readying themselves for careers after high school.

Articles also examine ways to lead students to address today’s 21st-century problems, acknowledging that citizens of the future will face new challenges and will need new knowledge and skills. The final section takes on the question of how to motivate students to embrace challenge.