Advisor at Valley New School (Appleton, WI). Ms. Luedtke, along with three colleagues, founded Valley New School, an innovative, project-based, student centered, technology-rich charter school for the Appleton Area School District 15 years ago. VNS continues to be a leading lab school and model for startup groups. Besides advising students, her main duties include action research in Personal Learning Plans, PBL curriculum, and community relations. She has served extensively as consultant, presenter, and coach for PBL schools throughout the region. She is co-author of the book, Transformational Personal Learning Practices. Before Valley New School, Ms. Luedtke worked to revolutionize learning in public and private middle/high school settings. She participated in restructuring and reopening a private alternative elementary school in Boulder, Colorado, where she specialized in school design. She has special interest in personalized, service and environmental learning and wellness. “I believe education is meant to be the support to encourage and assist us all in connecting ourselves to the world, and finding a healthy and satisfying place within it. Nurturing that essence in my students is my role as educator and my reason for writing the book.”