Professional learning does not end when a workshop does. A strong education book gives teachers and instructional leaders time to examine evidence, annotate practical ideas, and discuss how those ideas fit their students and schools.
This 2026 update highlights six current titles on Guilford Press’s professional-development bestseller list. The list is ordered by recent publication and focuses on practical classroom priorities. Bestseller rankings change, so educators should also review current catalogs, evidence, and local needs before selecting a title.
1. Assessment for Reading Instruction, Fifth Edition
By Katherine A. Dougherty Stahl, Kevin Flanigan, and Sarah M. Lupo. Published in 2025, this updated guide connects reading assessment with instructional decisions. It is a useful choice for literacy teams that want to interpret student data and turn results into targeted teaching.
2. Classwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Second Edition
By Brandi Simonsen and Diane Myers. This 2025 edition offers a proactive, classwide approach to behavior support. Read it when a team wants concrete routines, prevention strategies, and a shared classroom-management framework.
3. Making Sense of Phonics, Third Edition
By Isabel L. Beck and Mark E. Beck. The third edition explains both the purpose and practice of phonics instruction. It is especially relevant for elementary educators strengthening explicit, systematic literacy instruction.
4. The Structured Literacy Planner
By Louise Spear-Swerling. This planning resource addresses common reading difficulties in grades 1–9 and helps educators connect student needs with structured interventions.
5. Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Supports in Schools
By Sara C. McDaniel, Allison L. Bruhn, and Sara Estrapala. The book links assessment to Tier 2 intervention and can support school teams building more consistent social, emotional, and behavioral systems.
6. Executive Function Skills in the Classroom
By Laurie Faith, Carol-Anne Bush, and Peg Dawson. This practical text helps educators recognize executive-function barriers and teach strategies students can use to plan, organize, begin, and complete work.
Turn reading into professional learning
A book has the most impact when educators connect it to an identified need, discuss it with colleagues, try a small number of strategies, and examine student evidence. School and district leaders looking for facilitated learning can also use SimplyPD to search, compare, and connect with vetted K–12 professional-development providers.
Source note: Titles were selected from Guilford Press’s Education professional-development bestseller page, reviewed August 11, 2026.