Books

  • 25+

    Years of experience leading professional development

  • 75+

    Clients and organizations coached

  • 2

    Books published (and a 3rd one coming in 2025!)

The PD Book: 7 Habits that Transform Professional Development

written by lori cohen & elena aguilar

Develop transformational professional development programs that build and sustain your school community…

In The PD Book, bestselling author Elena Aguilar and co-author Lori Cohen offer seven habits--and a wealth of practical tools--that help you transform professional development.

In this book, you'll learn how to:

  • Craft effective outcomes for your adult students and design an agenda that aligns with adult learning principles

  • Use storytelling as a tool for effective workshops and trainings

  • Plan backwards from evaluations and outcomes to create powerful and lasting educational experiences

Ideal for educational leaders and administrators, professional development facilitators, coaches, and positional leaders in both K-12 and higher education, The PD Book is an incisive resource offering concrete strategies for educators at all levels.

  • “This book was excellent. It has helped me to design both extended PD sessions and monthly meetings. It is very thorough and takes you step-by-step through the process of designing (and thinking about designing) PD. I highly recommend adding this book to your collection.”

    Wendy P

  • “...Aguilar and Cohen keep the focus on effecting transformational change for educators to improve equity for students. The chapters on emotions and power dynamics and the emphasis on valuing the wisdom and experience of adult learners have stayed with me as I plan an upcoming workshop.”

    Maureen M Lipovsky

  • “I read this book over the summer, while on vacation... I could not put it down. What I really loved about the PD book was that I learned the how & the why of planning; not just the what. It helped me understand the dynamics of adult learning as well. I feel so much more confident in planning PDs!”

    Ruby Dellamano

Listen to my interview

I was interviewed by Dr. Justin Baeder and Heather Bell Williams about The PD Book.

Hear the story of how this book came about and how the unique approach we take to PD in this book can really transform your practice.

The Art of Coaching Workbook: Tools to Make Every Conversation Count

written by elena aguilar, with lori cohen & Laurelin Whitfield

A practical guide for getting the most out of The Art of Coaching…

Ideal for new and novice coaches, as well as for those who have years of coaching under their belt, this workbook will help you improve your coaching skills.

This vital companion text includes:

  • Dozens of activities to help you internalize the concepts described in The Art of Coaching

  • Exercises to guide you in identifying your own coaching beliefs, style, and practices

  • Short and lengthy transcripts of coaching conversations

  • Additional examples of key concepts in The Art of Coaching, including the Ladder of Inference and the Coaching Lenses

  • New ideas and information that build on those in The Art of Coaching 

This workbook is also for those who lead and manage coaches.