Insights
Reflections, essays, and columns on student leadership, executive functioning, decision-making, and personal growth.
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.
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.
One of the frustrating things about group projects is that doing your part isn’t always enough.
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.
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.
A few simple habits can reduce stress, save time, and make the school year more manageable.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thirty-seven advisors and coaches shared what they see helping student leaders succeed, and where follow-through, workload, and preparation can still become difficult.
Early results from about 270 student leaders show clear role expectations, common challenges, and very different experiences with training and support.
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.
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.
Right now, your brain is like a city under construction. It’s changing and reorganizing itself in ways that help it become more efficient.
A reflection on what students can learn about leadership, decision-making, and civic engagement by observing local leaders and public service.