The feedback is in: TEPSA Student Leadership Training Works

Principals say their campus culture and academic achievement begin improving as soon as their student leadership teams return from a TEPSA’s Leaders ‘R’ Us student leadership training!

Advisors say they feel more confident in planning with their leaders and supporting their efforts throughout the year.

Empowered students are vehicles for positive change in their school and in their community. There is no doubt leveraging student leadership on your campus makes a difference. Leadership training programs, such as TEPSA Leaders ‘R’ Us, are essential in developing leaders to achieve their full potential.

According to Texas Association of Student Councils Director Terry Hamm, “When strong student activity programs are established, achievement follows. Attendance improves, grades go up, and classrooms are blessed with students who understand team building, goal setting, and problem solving [. . .] Student Council (or student leadership) . . . enhances student voice, builds relationships, and points the way for students in their leadership journey.”

Whether your students have been leading for years or you’re just starting out, empowering kids improves your campus culture by strengthening areas that directly support your students’ leadership journey.

When you attend a Leaders ‘R’ Us Workshop, your leadership team:

  • Brainstorms ways to select and recruit volunteer(s) and advisors interested in working with student leaders.
  • Learns skills that apply to various leadership team models, such as student councils, ambassadors, character councils, Leader in Me and Rachel’s Challenge.
  • Discovers ways to structure the student officers and representatives to ensure all learners have a voice.
  • Generates ideas for a specific and consistent meeting space, such as an empty classroom, the advisor’s classroom, library or some other multipurpose area
  • Learns how to increase participation by setting meeting dates that follow a pattern. For example, the “second Tuesday of the month” helps everyone by not having to keep up with specific dates.
  • Allows students to take on more responsibility by learning to plan the agenda for each meeting and work with their advisors to set goals for the year.
  • Discovers that all leadership teams are governed by a constitution, which includes the purpose, roles and responsibilities of members, and voting process.
  • Establishes a written election process that includes role descriptions, the timeline, criteria to run, campaign rules, length of campaign, and voting procedures.
  • Has lots of fun meeting and working with new friends!

TEPSA’s Leaders ‘R’ Us training covers all student leadership team models and meets the ever-changing needs of our state’s diverse campuses.

Give students a voice to promote citizenship, school spirit, responsibility, and teamwork among and alongside their peers.

Workshops are being held across Texas. Learn more and register today!

Contact us with questions about starting or strengthening your student leadership team.

The Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA), whose hallmark is educational leaders learning with and from each other, has served Texas PK-8 school leaders since 1917. Member owned and member governed, TEPSA has more than 6000 members who direct the activities of 3 million PK-8 school children. TEPSA is an affiliate of the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

© Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association

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