Suwannee Springcrest Elementary School announced last month the school has been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by FranklinCovey Education. This recognition 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 unites students, staff, and families around a common goal to prepare students for college, career, and life-readiness skills that are necessary to thrive in today’s ever-changing environment. With Leader in Me, students become self-aware, they 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.

Jennifer Beach, principal of Springcrest Elementary, said, “We are honored to have been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School. We have seen amazing results from implementing the Leader in Me process at our school, such as improved academic achievement, including our overall school grade, students are empowered to lead and take ownership of their learning by tracking progress toward achieving their academic and personal goals, and the overwhelming number of model students that participate in service learning projects throughout the community and state. We are constantly complimented on our students’ behavior and leadership qualities.”

Lighthouse Certification is a highly regarded standard that is attainable by every Leader in Me School. Schools typically apply for this certification three to five years after a school begins the Leader in Me process. Springcrest Elementary attained the prestigious Lighthouse Certification during its third year of implementation. Sean Covey, President, Franklin Covey Education, said, “We are thrilled to recognize Suwannee Springcrest Elementary 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.”

FranklinCovey Education has designed the Lighthouse Rubric to establish high standards. The Lighthouse Rubric measures outcomes in three areas: teaching leadership principles, creating a leadership culture, and aligning academic systems. Lighthouse Certification is earned by schools that demonstrate the following:
• The principal, school administration, and staff engage in ongoing learning and development 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.
• 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 that include contributions of student voice.
• Schoolwide, classroom, family, and community leadership events provide opportunities to celebrate leadership.
• 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 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