Book excerpt: The Brain that Does the Work is the Brain that Learns. This simple truth is the essence of Student-led academic teaming, a new pedagogical model which elevates core instruction to a level of rigor far beyond that of traditional classrooms and familiar grouping strategies. In academic teams, students learn to collaborate and communicate with their peers while engaging in rigorous, standards-based tasks"€"a combination that clears the most effective path to true social, emotional, and cognitive learning (SECL). Authors Michael Toth and David Sousa have spent years researching academic frameworks and observing schools all over the country. They've found students disengaged, classrooms rooted in 19th century techniques, and teachers working themselves to the breaking point trying to force each student to meet state standards]€]but education doesn't have to be miserable, inequitable, and unpredictable. In Student-led academic teams, it's the kids who take ownership of their learning. Every st