Tony Wagner

Tony Wagner spent twelve years as a high school teacher and K-8 principal before joining Harvard, where he eventually became the first Innovation Education Fellow at the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center. That trajectory — from classroom to research to national policy conversations — gives him a perspective on education reform that neither pure academics nor career administrators can match.

From Classroom Teacher to Harvard Innovation Fellow

Before his Harvard appointment, Wagner founded and led the Change Leadership Group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for more than a decade, consulting to schools, districts, and foundations across the country and internationally. His previous experience also includes university teaching and serving as founding executive director of Educators for Social Responsibility.

Books and Films That Shifted the National Conversation

His book Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World, published by Simon and Schuster, received widespread acclaim and has been translated into multiple languages. His earlier book The Global Achievement Gap became an international bestseller and was also translated into Chinese. He collaborated with filmmaker Robert Compton to produce The Finland Phenomenon, a 60-minute documentary on the world’s most successful school system.

Tony Wagner’s keynote presentations challenge educators and business leaders to confront the gap between what schools currently teach and what students actually need to succeed in a knowledge economy that rewards innovation, critical thinking, and collaboration.

What does Tony Wagner speak about?

Tony Wagner is a Senior Research Fellow at Stanford’s Learning Policy Institute and former Expert in Residence at the Harvard Innovation Lab, whose bestseller The Global Achievement Gap has been translated into Chinese and shaped national conversations about education reform. He speaks on creating innovators and closing the achievement gap, drawing on twelve years as a high school teacher, K-8 principal, and founding executive director of Educators for Social Responsibility.

What is Tony Wagner’s background?

Tony Wagner is known for: Senior Research Fellow at Stanford’s Learning Policy Institute, former co-director of the Change Leadership Group at Harvard Graduate School of Education, author of Creating Innovators, The Global Achievement Gap, and Most Likely to Succeed.

Who books Tony Wagner to speak?

Meeting planners book Tony Wagner for education reform and innovation conferences that want a Stanford and Harvard-affiliated researcher whose books have directly shaped national education policy conversations.

Reinventing’ America’s Schools

Starting Points for Reinvention

Educators Are From Mars; Business Leaders Live on Venus: How Are We Going To Get Down To Earth Together?

Seeing the School Reform Elephant: What Policymakers Need to Know

Seeking Higher Moral and Academic Standards: A Response to Character Education

Strategies for Building Community Partnerships

What is The Aim of Educational Reform?

Are Schools ‘Failing’?

Successful Strategies for Community Involvement

Charter Schools: Policy Implications for Educational Reform

Why School Reform: Making the Case for Change