Leadership and Life Skills at VRE Inspire Young Students to Become Future-Ready Leaders with the Leader in Me Model
Valley Ranch Elementary was notified on Feb. 1 that the school has been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by FranklinCovey Education — a distinction that only 700 schools in the world, 62 schools in Texas and eight schools in North Texas have achieved.
“We are honored to have been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School,” said Valley Ranch Principal Cynthia Arterbery. “We have seen amazing results from implementing the Leader in Me model at our school, as our students are stepping up as leaders in the classroom and beyond.”
CISD Superintendent Dr. Brad Hunt said, “I am immensely proud of Mrs. Arterbery and Valley Ranch Elementary for achieving this incredible recognition, which is evidence that the school has produced outstanding results in school and student outcomes, and because of the extraordinary impact the school is having on staff, students, parents and the greater community.”
Leader in Me Program Background from FranklinCovey Education
Leader in Me is an evidence-based PK-12 model, developed in partnership with educators, designed to build resilience and leadership in students, create a high-trust culture, and help improve academic achievement. This model equips students, educators, and families with the leadership and life skills needed to thrive, adapt, and contribute in a dynamic world.
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. With Leader in Me, students learn to become self-aware and interdependent, take initiative, plan ahead, set and track goals, do their homework, prioritize their time, be considerate of others, communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, find creative solutions, value differences, live a balanced life and contribute to society.
Within the PK-12 education community, it is common for schools to receive recognition for outstanding achievement. Lighthouse Certification is a highly regarded standard that is attainable by every Leader in Me School. Schools that achieve the certification are great examples of a strong leadership model. They have experienced significant measurable results, aligned to their goals, through the implementation of the principles and practices in Leader in Me. Schools typically apply for this certification three to five years after a school begins the Leader in Me model.
FranklinCovey Education has designed the Lighthouse Rubric to establish high standards for quality and, ultimately, school outcomes. Schools use the Lighthouse Rubric to measure outcomes in three areas: teaching leadership principles, creating a leadership culture, and aligning academic systems. Schools also measure their success as it relates to their unique school. Lighthouse Schools serve as exemplars to their community and to other schools.
Sean Covey, President, FranklinCovey Education, said, “We are thrilled to recognize Valley Ranch as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School. Schools who achieve this Lighthouse Certification are great examples of a strong leadership model, and of what it means to be a Leader in Me school. This school has experienced incredible results by implementing the principles and practices related to Leader in Me. And we are so pleased and honored to be their partner and to celebrate the success they are experiencing.”
Since its official launch, more than 7,000 public, private, and charter schools across 60 plus countries have adopted the Leader in Me model, of which 700 have achieved the prestigious Lighthouse Certification. It is earned by schools that demonstrate the following:
The principal, school administration, and staff engage in ongoing learning and develop as leaders, while championing leadership for the school.
Leadership principles are effectively taught to all students through direct lessons, integrated approaches, and staff modeling. Students are able to think critically about, and apply, leadership principles.
Families and the school partner together in learning about The 7 Habits and leadership principles through effective communication and mutual respect.
The school community is able to see leadership in the physical environment, hear leadership through a common language, and feel leadership through a culture of caring, relationships, and affirmation.
Leadership is shared with students through a variety of leadership roles. Student voice leads to innovations within the school.
Schoolwide, classroom, family, and community leadership events provide authentic environments to celebrate leadership, build culture, and allow students to practice leadership skills.
The school utilizes the 4DX® process (The 4 Disciplines of Execution) to identify and track progress toward Wildly Important Goals® (WIGs) for the school, classroom, and staff.
Students lead their own learning with the skills to assess their needs, set appropriate goals, and carry out action plans. They track progress toward goals in Leadership Notebooks and share these notebooks with adults in Student-Led Conferences.
Teacher planning and reflection, trusting relationships, and student-led learning combine to create environments for highly engaged learning.
Valley Ranch will maintain its Lighthouse Certification for two years and will continue to foster its growth and proficiency in exemplifying a leadership culture and principles. At the end of the two years, the school will recertify its Lighthouse Certification through a virtual self-assessment, describing and celebrating its growth and accomplishments since its original Lighthouse designation.
Leader in Me training includes establishing the vision for the school or district, goal setting, and personal-accountability systems and is aligned with commonly held best in class educational research, content and best practices. At the core of the Leader in Me model is the belief that every child possesses unique strengths and can be a leader. The foundation of Leader in Me is its PK-12 framework, the See-Do-Get model, and the Student Leadership Portrait competencies.
Leader in Me is implemented through an educator professional development model. Teachers and staff learn key concepts and integrate them into existing systems. FranklinCovey has robust implementation support to ensure success for individual schools, district-wide, distance learning, and online delivery of content. Coaching supports implementation excellence and sustained achievement across all implementation modalities.
Leader in Me is having a significant, measurable impact on schools all over the world and in the lives of millions of students, parents, teachers, and administrators. To learn more about the impact the model is having, see the following research highlights: (www.leaderinme.org/research-highlights-academics/).
For more information on the model that has been implemented in more than 6,000 schools and in more than 55 countries, visit www.leaderinme.org.
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About Franklin Covey Education
For three decades, FranklinCovey Education, a division of FranklinCovey and a global leader in education solutions, has been one of the world’s most prominent and trusted providers of educational-leadership programs and transformational processes. FranklinCovey’s programs, books, and content have been utilized by thousands of public and private primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools and institutions, including educational service centers and vocational schools in all 50 states within the United States and in over 50 countries.