Acknowledgments

This book would not be possible without the support, patience, and humor of the young people who let me learn alongside them on school buses. I am grateful for their brilliance amid the ongoing tolls aboard and because of the biggest form of educational technology to shape our schooling systems.

This work also depended on the incredible contributions and insights of my research team, including Stephanie Robillard, Miroslav Suzara, and Jorge Garcia, and assistance from Kathryn Ribay. The research in this book also could not have taken place without the support and outreach of Eric Hartwig and Michelle Nayfack.

Leah Pennywark and Eric Lundgren at University of Minnesota Press provided crucial guidance for this work. Support for the time and research shared throughout this book was provided by the Stanford-Sequoia K–12 Research Collaborative and by the Stanford Impact Lab Design Fellowship.

Friends and colleagues offered ongoing advice for this work, including Dehanza Rogers, Christopher Gutierrez, Nicole Mirra, Karli Stander, Gary Orfield, Larry Cuban, Jennifer Langer-Osuna, Ramon Martinez, and Jonathan Rosa.

My father-in-law, Greg, asked important questions about safety protocols and cleaning agents for public school buses. His dedicated concern about bus standards and health helped shape how I approached some of the work in chapter 3.

My daughters Joey and Stella were gleeful to sing the song from which this book’s title and chapter titles originate. And, finally, I am grateful for Alexandria for so many reasons. Most salient to this book is her powerful reminder of the problematic representation of gender in the same song. Here’s to composing better verses of “Wheels on the Bus” in the future.