This whole-school improvement model integrates leadership development into existing programs, curricula and traditions and serves as a foundational operating system for the school, improving relationships, transforming culture, and motivating staff and students. All stakeholders are impacted by Leader in Me, starting with the staff of a school, then expanding to students, their families, and the community at large. This Inside-Out Approach is a key ingredient to successfully creating positive change in a school.
Leader in Me utilizes and integrates several leadership, social emotional learning, quality, and educational models and processes from past and current thought leaders including The 4 Essential Roles of Leadership and The 4 Disciplines of Execution. The process includes student participation in goal setting, data tracking, leadership roles, Student-Led Conferences, leadership environments, and Leadership Events. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is also a key component of the overall Leader in Me process and is a synthesis of universal, timeless principles of personal, interpersonal, and organizational effectiveness such as responsibility, vision, integrity, teamwork, collaboration, and renewal, which are secular in nature and common to all people and cultures.
This program is approved for WV Expanded School Mental Health.
Last reviewed: 2023
Intended Outcomes:
- Improved academic performance
- Reduced emotional distress
- Improved identity development and agency
- Reduced problem behaviors
- Improved school climate
- Improved school connectedness
- Improved social behaviors
- Improved teaching practices
- Improved other SEL skills and attitudes
Continuum of Care:
Universal Prevention
Topic Areas:
Behavioral Health/Mental Health, Disruptive Behaviors, Trauma
Ages:
Childhood (4-12), Teen/Adolescent (13-18)
Geographic Locations:
Rural, Urban
Delivery Settings:
School-Based
Cultural Considerations:
A balanced amount of the research involved diverse populations
Audience:
Credentials:
This program is for all students grades K-12.
Manuals:
Yes
Is Training Required?
Yes, see developer info
Who can provide the required training?
Please contact educate@franklincovey.com for more information on training.
Program Costs (materials, training, etc.):
Yes, refer to program website
Program/Practice Website:
https://www.leaderinme.org
Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research:
Andersen, L. (2012). The effects of formal leadership-lessons on the emergence of positive social-leadership skills of pre-kindergarten students. In Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences (Vol. 73, Issue 6–A, p. 2012). ProQuest Information & Learning.
Bennett, C. (2020). Bloom Where You’re Planted: Spreading the Seeds of Leader in Me Everywhere. Journal of Leadership, Accountability & Ethics, 17(2), 10–24.
Bryant, B. (2018). The experiences of educators applying the leader in me initiative to their classrooms. In Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences (Vol. 78, Issue 8–A(E)). ProQuest Information & Learning.
Cummins, K. (2015). A mixed methods study on The Leader In Me process : how does fostering student leadership capacity influence behavior, efficacy, and achievement? / Kimberly Cummins.
Ferland, A., Chu, Y. L., Gleddie, D., Storey, K., & Veugelers, P. (2015). Leadership skills are associated with health behaviors among Canadian children. Health Promotion International, 30(1), 106–113. https://doi.org/10.1093/
Saylor, M. L. (2019). The Impact of “The Leader in Me” School Leadership Model on Perceived Shared Leadership. In ProQuest LLC.
Howell, E. L. (2021). Impact on Student Achievement Equity in Schools Which Use the Leader in Me Program. In ProQuest LLC.
Soutter, M. (2018). The Role of “The Leader in Me” in the Social and Emotional Learning and Youth Voice Development of Elementary Students. In ProQuest LLC.
Wilkens, C. L., & Wilmore, E. (2015). Does Implementing an Emotional Intelligence Program Guarantee Student Achievement? Education Leadership Review of Doctoral Research, 2(1), 34–46.
Whitman, R. D. (2021). The Influence of the Leader in Me (LIM) on academic achievement. In Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences (Vol. 82, Issue 7–A). ProQuest Information & Learning.
Additional Sources:
WV Rating:
Promising
»WV Ratings Info
Rationale for Rating:
Leader in Me is ranked as a Casel Select program and not reviewed by other clearinghouses. Of the 10 research studies we could obtain, none were randomized control trials. Research was current spanning this decade but lacked focus on specific program outcomes and as such, reported mixed success. Based on the mixed research and lack of randomized control trials, we can rate this no higher than promising. Reviewers recommend further randomized control trial research with focused outcome measures.
Contraindications or Concerns:
None identified
Other Registries/Ratings
The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare:
Not On Registry
Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development:
Not On Registry
Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness:
Not On Registry
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Model Programs Guide:
Not On Registry
Washington State Institute for Public Policy:
Not On Registry