Alan Blankstein

Award-winning author and educational leader, Alan Blankstein served for 25 years as President of the HOPE Foundation, which he founded and whose honorary chair was Nobel Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A former “high-risk” youth, he began his career in education as a music teacher. He worked for Phi Delta Kappa, March of the Dimes, and founded Solution Tree in 1987, directing it for 12 years while launching Professional Learning Communities beginning in the late 1980s. He is the author of the best-selling book "Failure Is Not an Option®: Six Principles That Guide Student Achievement in High-Performing Schools," which received the Book of the Year award from Learning Forward.

Alan Blankstein is Senior Editor, lead contributor, and/or author of 18 books, including "Excellence Through Equity" with Pedro Noguera. He also authored around 20 articles in leading education print including Education Week, Educational Leadership, The Principal, and Executive Educator. His work has not only spanned writing but also impactful visual contributions, such as producing the multi-award-winning documentary "Petersburg Rising." Alan has provided keynote presentations and workshops for virtually every major U.S. educational organization, and internationally in the UK, Africa, and the Middle East.

Alan Blankstein has served on the Harvard International Principals Centers advisory board and the Jewish Child Care Agency, where he once was a youth in residence. Beyond his writing and speaking, he has been a superintendent of three different K-12 school districts, providing educational leaders with effective structures, systems, and best instructional practices. His presentations often discuss the critical nature of leadership and trust-building in education, emphasizing equity and high-performing school cultures, and illustrating his doctrine that "failure is not an option" in educating children.