Habits for Resilient Learners

Empowering Learners, Building Resilience

Imagine a classroom where every challenge inspires growth and every obstacle sparks curiosity. Habits for Resilient Learners offers an actionable framework that educators can follow to support student resilience, an essential skill to help students excel under academic pressure, adapt to challenges, small and large, and persevere in a complex learning environment.

Packed with practical strategies rooted in the science of learning, this book helps teachers nurture self-awareness, self-regulation, perseverance, and problem-solving skills in students. This toolkit goes beyond academic survival—encouraging a mindset of empowerment and adaptability that lasts a lifetime. Inside you will find:

• Ten evidence-based habits to foster students’ resilience and innovative mindset
• Actionable strategies to cultivate each habit in students
• Tools, activities, and quick tips to use in your classroom
• Wisdom and real-world anecdotes from the authors’ experiences as lead learners and leadership coaches, supporting schools and districts across the country

This is your invitation to cultivate resilient, adaptable learners ready to thrive—in school and beyond

Dr. Lindsay Prendergast brings two decades of experience in global education, where her roles have ranged from leadership coach to principal, consultant, and classroom teacher. As a senior leader with The Danielson Group and founder of EdHabits consulting (www.edhabits.com), she collaborates with districts, schools, and educators to promote equitable teaching and learning. She coauthored the bestselling Habits of Resilient Educators: Strategies for Thriving During Times of Anxiety, Doubt, and Constant Change (Prendergast & Lee, 2024) and Habits of Resilient Leaders: Personal Practices That Drive Professional Impact (Prendergast & Lee, 2025), and Habits for Resilient Learners: Empowering Students to Thrive Through Challenge and Change, as well as dozens of articles and manuscripts in the field of education. Lindsay’s work centers on leading systems change and advancing instructional leadership with practical and impactful insights. Recognized as an ASCD Emerging Leader and Champion in Education as well as an AAIE Fellow, Lindsay is an established thought leader who frequently shares her expertise on leadership development, growth-centered supervision, and assessment practices through ASCD, Learning Forward, Edutopia, AAIE, EARCOS, AMLE, Cognia, and more. Driven by a commitment to impactful change and global competence, Lindsay’s work empowers educators to navigate complex challenges, fostering environments where both teachers and students thrive. Lindsay holds a bachelor’s degree from Wofford College, a master’s degree in education leadership from Colorado Western State University, and a doctoral degree in education leadership from Wilkes University. Piper Lee brings over twenty-six years of experiential wisdom in education, including teaching, administration, instructional coaching, and leadership development. Her dedication to enhancing student learning and teacher effectiveness drives her national work as an instructional leadership coach. Piper has partnered with students, educators, leadership teams, and families across various contexts, including support for district leaders and principals in one of the largest school districts in the country. Post-pandemic, she coached more than eight superintendents and over forty-five principals alongside Lindsay Prendergast, dedicating extensive time to data analysis, facilitating professional learning communities, and classroom observations. These experiences shape her evidence-based approach and inform the purpose of this book. Piper champions the philosophy that “rigorous relationships” are foundational to transformative school cultures and effective leadership. Piper holds a bachelor′s degree in elementary education, a master’s in curriculum and instruction, and an education leadership certification from Winona State University. Grounded in practical strategies and informed by deep field experience, Piper equips education leaders to navigate complexity and foster environments where both students and educators thrive. Amanda Brueggeman, Ed.D. is a literacy coach and consultant with over 18 years in education. She grew up on a farm in Southeast Missouri, working her way to the suburbs of St. Louis, MO, where she taught at Valley Park and Wentzville for ten years prior to being a coach. Her passions include literacy and collective efficacy in relation to working with new teachers and mentors. Amanda is the author of the upcoming book, Student-Centered Mentoring (forthcoming 2022). Amanda obtained her teaching degree in Elementary Education at Southeast Missouri State University. She earned her MA in Educational Technology from the University of Missouri and is certified as a Student-Centered Coaching Consultant. Amanda holds her Doctorate in Teacher Leadership from Maryville University, where she is also an adjunct professor for the Education Department.