Where do students get to lead at our school?
I can name plenty of leadership positions at my school, from team captains to club presidents. I’d be curious to see what we’d find if we mapped where students get to take responsibility, what they get to practice, and how they can start small and work up to a bigger role.
When should an advisor step in, and when should an advisor step back?
Student leaders need advisors who provide guidance without taking over. Our research found that advisors and coaches were the most common source of leadership training, but students also need opportunities to make decisions, solve problems, and learn from experience. An advisor might show students how to develop a project plan rather than creating it for them, or ask questions that help students resolve a disagreement rather than stepping in immediately. The challenge is knowing when to provide support and when to give students room to lead.
What does your leadership team already know how to do?
Leadership roles tell us what students are responsible for, but not what they already know how to do. A simple chart showing each team member’s experience with activities like budgeting, running meetings, delegating, and coordinating volunteers could reveal strengths and gaps that job titles alone might miss. The goal wouldn’t be to evaluate students, but to identify where they can contribute and where they might need support. Revisiting the chart at the end of the year could also show how much the team has learned through leading.
What we take for normal in Weston
When you’ve lived somewhere your whole life, it’s hard to tell what’s normal everywhere and what’s normal only where you live.
What leadership activities does your team actually provide?
Leadership titles don't always tell us what students actually get to do. Does the vice president lead projects or simply help carry them out? Does the treasurer develop a budget or just track expenses? Looking beyond job descriptions to the activities students actually perform could reveal opportunities to share responsibility, develop new skills, and give more students meaningful leadership experience.
Don't just plan your titles. Plan your leadership activities.
What if students approached high school activities by asking not just which organizations to join or leadership positions to pursue, but what they want to learn how to do? A look at how students can build meaningful leadership experiences by taking on new responsibilities over time.
What should student leaders actually get to do?
What should student leaders actually get to do? Instead of making another list of leadership traits, I've been looking at the activities that give students real responsibility and opportunities to develop their leadership skills through practice.
A leadership title isn’t a leadership experience
Two students can hold the same leadership title and have very different experiences. Maybe we should pay less attention to the title and more attention to what students actually get to do.
When doing your part isn’t enough
One of the frustrating things about group projects is that doing your part isn’t always enough.
Experience is part of the training
A conversation with two local journalists made me think about how experience becomes part of the training, whether we’re interviewing someone, leading a meeting, or planning an event.
Looking beyond the leadership title
What started as a question about how student leaders are supported led me to another one: What are students actually getting the opportunity to do once they become leaders? Our research changed how I think about the relationship between support, responsibility, and learning to lead.
Four ways to make school easier this year
A few simple habits can reduce stress, save time, and make the school year more manageable.
What I learned about leadership and government from State Representative Alice Peisch
After interviewing Massachusetts State Representative Alice Peisch, I came away with a different picture of leadership in government. Much of the work happens before the visible decisions, through learning about issues, listening to different perspectives, setting priorities, and figuring out what can realistically move forward.
What teaching Teen Exec taught me
This summer, teaching eight Teen Exec workshops taught me something I hadn't expected: knowing how to do something and knowing how to teach it are very different skills. I learned to focus on what mattered most, give students more opportunities to apply ideas themselves, and adjust when what I had planned wasn't working.
What the written responses taught me about supporting student leaders
The written responses from student leaders and advisors helped me understand why clear roles and useful organizational tools don’t always lead to consistent follow-through. They also changed how I think about the practical support students need while learning to lead other people.
What actually changes in high school: advice for rising ninth graders
As I begin junior year, I’m sharing what helped me adjust to high school’s added independence, from managing assignments to asking for help and recovering when plans went wrong.
What I’m learning from student leadership advisors
Thirty-seven advisors and coaches shared what they see helping student leaders succeed, and where follow-through, workload, and preparation can still become difficult.
What I’m learning from student leaders
Early results from about 270 student leaders show clear role expectations, common challenges, and very different experiences with training and support.
What a week without my phone taught me about attention
One evening after dinner, our group sat together for nearly an hour just talking. No one reached for a phone because no one had one.
Exploring leadership through service: Reflections from my high school’s June Academy
I signed up expecting to learn how to serve my community, but I left with a much greater appreciation for the people, planning, and organizations that make service possible.