Jim GiovanniniJim Giovannini is the founder of Elevated Minds, a Chicagoland-based national education company he started in 1989 after years in the classroom. What began as one teacher trying to change lives one student at a time has grown into an organization tha has served more than three million students, teachers, and school leaders across 46 states through over 20,000 presentations and workshops.A nationally recognized expert in SAT and ACT test preparation and a best-selling author with Barron's Educational Series, Jim has spent nearly four decades proving that education remains one of the most powerful levers for breaking generational cycles-especially for first-generation and low-income students. Through Elevated Minds, he and his team deliver high-impact test prep along with enrichment programs in leadership development, financial literacy, study skills, executive functioning, and real-world readiness. They regularly provide professional development for teachers and administrators focused on building classrooms where rigor, rapport, and real accountability thrive.Jim didn't write Elevating Education: One Great Educator at a Time to talk about test scores. He wrote it because he remembers exactly who the great ones were in his own life, and because he's watched too many good teachers burn out or get beaten down by a system that often rewards the wrong things. This book is his way of passing the torch: practical strategies, hard-earned stories, and an unapologetic call for educators to become the kind of teacher students never forget.Jim still walks into schools every week. He still teaches kids directly. And he still believes the same thing he tells every group of students he meets: "I'm here to change your life in a positive way." His life's work reflects a simple conviction: Education is still the great equalizer. Read More Read Less