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A Strong Research Foundation: The Frameworks & Paradigms Behind Leader in Me

Whether it’s chronic absenteeism, declining academic performance, or disruptive student behaviors, educators need solutions that truly make a difference. Leader in Me stands out because its approach is grounded in decades of research and proven best practices. By emphasizing leadership, personal growth, and inclusive engagement, it consistently delivers powerful, evidence-based results that drive meaningful, lasting change.

Building Sustainable Schoolwide Transformation

Achieving lasting, large-scale improvement requires more than temporary fixes—it demands a culture of trust and collaboration across the entire school community. Leader in Me is designed to foster strong relationships and shared responsibility, ensuring that everyone contributes to growth and success.

Our approach emphasizes cultivating meaningful connections and effective communication at every level. Instead of relying on top-down mandates, Leader in Me empowers principals, teachers, students, and families to work together in driving continuous improvement. By integrating personal and interpersonal leadership development with school culture enhancement/growth and systems that support academic goal-setting and achievement, we help you create changes that are both meaningful and enduring.

Dive Into the Research that Informs Our Thinking

 

The Research on Future Readiness: The Student Leadership Portrait

Preparing students for success in college, careers, and beyond requires more than academic achievement—it demands strong leadership and essential life skills. Leader in Me’s Student Leadership Portrait (SLP) is a research-based framework designed to develop these critical competencies throughout a student’s educational journey.

The SLP guides students from building foundational skills to achieving interdependent leadership, ensuring they are well-equipped to navigate a rapidly changing world. Explore how our evidence-backed approach fosters independence, collaboration, and resilience, empowering students to become effective leaders in all aspects of their lives.

 

How Does Our Approach Develop Key Leadership Skills Like Responsibility, Communication, and Perseverance?

DISCOVER THE STUDENT LEADERSHIP PORTRAIT

How Does Leader in Me Align with John Hattie’s Research on Effective Learning?
SEE THE ALIGNMENT

From Paradigms to Results: The See-Do-Get® Model

How we see students can create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Our educational paradigm or biased expectations may shape our interactions, ultimately reinforcing those beliefs and turning them into reality.

The See–Do–Get® cycle succinctly captures what we’ve been discussing.

The way we aww things impacts what we do, and what we do determines the results we get.

 

This model is a cornerstone of Leader in Me because it reinforces the importance of the 5 Core Paradigms that guide our work.

The 5 Core Paradigms

The 7 Habits: A Proven Path to Personal & Interpersonal Effectiveness

The 7 Habits, developed by Dr. Stephen R. Covey, form a key pillar of Leader in Me. Grounded in enduring leadership and character development research, each habit aligns with character competencies and executive functioning skills that research shows are critical for academic and life success.11

From Habit 1’s focus on proactive behavior to Habit 7’s emphasis on renewal and well-being, these principles are supported by decades of empirical evidence linking emotional regulation, goal-setting, collaboration, and empathy to improved student outcomes. By embedding the 7 Habits into daily practice, Leader in Me helps schools nurture leaders who excel academically and socially.

 

How Can Combining Leadership, Culture, and Academics Drive Sustainable Change in Schools?

EXPLORE THE FRAMEWORK

How Do The 7 Habits and Executive Functions Influence Academic Achievement and Success?
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Coaching: A Proven Partnership for Sustainable Change

When schools face large-scale, “all-hands” challenges—such as adopting new curricula or improving student engagement—Leader in Me Coaches act as essential partners. They help school teams:

  1. Prepare for Change: Pinpoint upcoming trends, align goals with the school’s strategic plan, and organize resources effectively.
  2. Manage Reactions: Keep communication open to address concerns, focus on controllable elements, and build unity around the process.
  3. Overcome Obstacles: Prioritize challenges, celebrate wins, and maintain momentum through setbacks.
  4. Explore Opportunities: Look beyond immediate hurdles to identify long-term benefits that uplift both staff and students.
  5. Create a Compelling Vision: Communicate the “why” behind transformative initiatives, generating trust and buy-in at every level.
COACHING INSIGHTS

The Coaching Difference

Coaching—the fundamental difference between sustainable change and revolving initiatives.

How can coaches equip educators with the support and resources needed to climb to the next level? To invest in a coach is to invest in an ally who will walk beside you as you reach for your goals and support you as you face new challenges. The coaching difference is rooted in trust, authentic relationships, and dedication to unleashing the unrealized potential within a school.

Learn first hand from the extraordinary Leader in Me Coaches: what the coaching difference is, and why it continues to work.

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Want to Learn More About the Coaching Solutions Available For Your School/District?
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The 4 Disciplines of Execution®: Turning Intent into Measurable Results

Achieving schoolwide improvement goals requires more than aspiration—it demands a disciplined approach to execution. The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX), distilled from extensive research in organizational psychology and strategic management12, provides a proven process for focusing on critical priorities, identifying lead measures, tracking progress, and maintaining accountability.

In educational settings, research shows that when teachers and administrators engage with a systematic goal-achievement model like 4DX, student performance improves, teams become more cohesive, and initiatives gain traction. Leader in Me integrates 4DX to help schools set meaningful goals, manage the “whirlwind” of daily responsibilities, and celebrate progress as measurable results accumulate.

 

How Does The 4 Disciplines of Execution Drive Success and Growth in Schools and Districts?

DISCOVER 4DX

Harmonizing with Established Educational Models

Leader in Me’s research base is compatible with a wide range of proven educational frameworks. From aligning seamlessly with workforce readiness standards like Perkins Employability Skills Framework to complementing PBIS behavior supports, to integrating within IB or dual-language settings, research confirms that Leader in Me enhances, rather than replaces, the best practices you already trust.

Interested in Receiving an Alignment to Your State or District's Portrait of a Graduate?
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Resource Hub

To support your school’s growth and continuous improvement, we’ve created the Research-to-Practice Resource Hub, where you’ll find a curated collection of multimedia content designed to support your journey. Browse videos featuring expert insights, read in-depth articles unpacking key concepts and evidence, listen to thought-provoking podcasts, and access practical tools and resources, and bibliographies.

Whether you’re looking to deepen your understanding or find actionable strategies, these resources will help you translate research into meaningful practice.

Click Below to Start Exploring Today

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