
HISTORY
Muriel Summers, principal at A.B. Combs Elementary School in Raleigh, N.C., talks about how The Leader in Me™ began 13 years ago. Summers was the keynote speaker for the March 2012 Chamber Coffee Hour, kicking off a local The Leader in Me effort. Summers, also, has been on-site with our schools as part of The Leader in Me™ training and implementation.
Student Success in the 21st Century
Leader in Me helps schools create well-rounded learners by developing the whole-person and preparing students to become life-ready leaders.
Leader in Me unites students, staff, and families around a common goal to prepare students with college, career, and life-readiness skills that are necessary to thrive in today’s ever-changing, fast-paced environment, like:
- Critical Thinking
- Creativity
- Self-Discipline
- Vision
- Initiative
- Communication
- Relationship Building
- Goal Achievement
- Public Speaking
- Global Awareness
- Social and Emotional Awareness
- Teamwork
- Listening Skills
- Time Management
- Leading Projects
- Self-Directed Learning
- Valuing Diversity
- Problem Solving
How is The Leader in Me implemented in a school?
Leader in Me is implemented as follows:
- School staff identify a new vision of the outcomes they want for their school (e.g., decreasing discipline referrals).
- School staff learn Leader in Me principles and tools and begin incorporating the leadership principles in their work and relationships (e.g., learning how to work more cooperatively with each other).
- School staff model the behaviors to their students.
- Teachers are taught how to incorporate the leadership principles and tools into school culture and curricula.
- Key elements of the leadership model are implemented into the school, including:
- Teaching students how to set, track, and achieve their goals in a Leadership Notebook.
- Reinventing the physical environment to reinforce the vision and outcomes for the school (banners, signs, murals).
- Holding Student-Led Conferences, which are similar to parent-teacher conferences, but with the students taking ownership for their learning and leading these conferences.
- Giving each student a leadership role within the school.
- Holding student-led Leadership Events.
- Using a common language of leadership.
- Parents also play an important role in supporting their children in the process.
- School staff, students, and parents utilize a number of resources (lesson plans, videos, student activity guides, Teacher Editions, posters, books, and Leader in Me Online) to help them implement and reinforce the process.