The first book I read as part of my Capstone experience is The Core Six: Essential Strategies for Achieving Excellence written by Harvey F. Silver, R. Thomas Dewing and Matteo J. Perini. In this book, the authors discuss 6 key strategies that teachers and instructional leaders can use to better help students meet “common core demands.” (Silver, 2012) These strategies are designed to help students achieve standards in English, social studies, science, and any other technical subject at any educational level. The six main strategies are: reading for meaning, compare and contrast, inductive learning, knowledge circle, writing to learn, and vocabulary CODE. The authors of this book explain these strategies in detail and provide great example lessons on what a teacher can do in their own classroom. This book is a must read for all administrators in my district and are required to read studies in their staff development activities. This book was an easy read for anyone in the education field due to its explanations of the strategies and how teachers can use these strategies in the classroom with minimal effort. Most strategies allow the teacher to be an observer of student learning, giving students the opportunity to conduct their own discoveries and group discussions, which is critical to high-level instruction. Most of the examples provided in the book are strategies that most teachers implement on a daily basis, but it shows readers how such a strategy better unlocks state standards for students. The book also uses examples across all subject areas of education, so that math and English teachers can relate the strategies to their own classroom. The book also pushes toward the mid-paper entry rate that these students are accustomed to. Teachers and instructional leaders need to be encouraged and motivated to make the change and have confidence that the strategies they are using can still be used to help students achieve mastery of those standards. This book is a helpful guide for struggling campuses, providing helpful tips for teachers and examples of how to use them in the classroom. It also explains the importance of teachers working together in their subject area to increase student engagement and achievement. I will use this book and recommend it to other teachers to help them keep students on the path to high learning and high achievement on our high-stakes tests. Works Cited Silver, H., Dewing, R. and Perini, M. (2012 ) The Six Fundamentals: Essential Strategies for Achieving Excellence. Alexandria, Virginia. ASCD