I believe very strongly that making connections could easily be considered a fifth C. Not only is there a workplace imperative for students to learn how to make connections, but there is also scientific evidence that making connections is how we learn best. And in the effort to increase students' ability to comprehend complex texts-one of the college-and-career-readiness goals of the Common Core state standards-helping students make connections is a crucial component of that toolkit. If we want our students to grow into life-long learners, then this is a skill that they simply must learn.

In choosing what we teach, Sprenger suggests three major emphases: creativity, synthesis, and building relationships (141).

Perhaps their biggest stunt, however, was the Back To School Project. Nearly 35 business and community leaders were dropped into classrooms as students to see first-hand what school is really like today. After the experience, Cornally and Pickering led a discussion on what they would change if they could.