Four schools implement Leader in Me
Springfield Public Schools has implemented Leader in Me, a whole-school transformation framework, at four elementary campuses during the 2025-2026 school year.
Mann, Watkins, Westport and Jeffries elementaries are each in year one of deployment of Leader in Me. The program teaches students and staff leadership and life skills based on the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” aiming to create a culture of empowerment, improve academics and develop responsible, proactive individuals ready for 21st-century challenges. The aim is to integrate leadership principles into the school's culture, academics and family involvement to foster student growth.
“We chose to implement the program because it not only focuses on growing the mindsets of students but also the staff members and the families,” said Dr. Beth Engelhart, SPS executive director of elementary schools. “The goal of Leader in Me is to equally invest in the leadership, culture and academics at each site.”
Jeffries Elementary started the year ensuring their entire staff was unified in their understanding of the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” Since then, they have focused on one specific habit with students each month, allowing them to practice and internalize these principles in real-time. They have implemented goal setting through Student Leadership Notebooks, where students take ownership of their progress by tracking personal and academic milestones. In the fourth quarter, they plan to launch student leadership teams across the entire school.
“The implementation of Leader in Me is creating a unified common language across Jeffries,” said Dr. Christen Glenn, Jeffries principal. “For our students, focusing on one habit per month has turned abstract concepts into daily actions. We are seeing a significant shift in student agency as we track school-wide, classroom and personal goals. We are building a leadership culture that extends well beyond our front doors.”
At Mann, Leader in Me is being implemented through academic goal-setting, specifically in the area of fact fluency. Teachers are utilizing Leader in Me to help students set and track personal goals. They have also developed cafeteria leadership roles where students sign on to work 15 minute shifts - supporting younger grades, cleaning tables and showing ownership of the space.
“We have really discussed the first 3 habits consistently: be proactive, begin with the end in mind and work first and then play,” said Courtney Ellis, principal at Mann Elementary. “Students have been stepping up and finding ways to be a leader. We have gone from wanting the prizes and trinkets as celebrations, to wanting to earn the opportunity to lead on a team. For adults we have been working on goals ourselves, and in a career where you give so much to others, seeing my staff prioritize and have 20 accountability buddies on reading books they enjoy or drinking more water is exciting to see.”
