In a traditional teacher-centered classroom, the teacher works harder and harder to move students to greater learning gains, especially students on the short end of achievement gaps and those with complex needs in mainstream classrooms. A pedagogical model called student-led academic teaming takes a different approach to personalizing instruction and meeting the multifaceted needs of each student without increasing teacher fatigue and burnout. It allows teachers to work smarter, not harder. With student-led academic teaming, students take increased ownership and accountability for their own and their peers’ learning, relieving some of the pressure from the teacher and resulting in greater achievement gains. Working in teams, students are empowered to reach higher levels of critical thinking because they can rely on their peers for support and