Leading with Purpose

Student Voice as Leadership: Why Listening to Students Matters More Than Ever Tangela Boler When people talk about leadership in schools, the focus is usually on administrators, teachers, and systems. Rarely do we center one of the most important voices in the building, the students themselves. Yet, one of the most important shifts happening in education right now is the growing recognition that student voice is not just valuable, it is essential. As I continue developing as an educational leader, I am realizing that schools function best when students are not just participants in learning, but active contributors to the school community. When students feel heard, they are more engaged, more invested, and more connected to their environment. Student voice goes beyond asking for opinions on surveys or holding occasional meetings. It is about creating consistent opportunities for students to share their experiences, ideas, and concerns, and then using that feedback to guide decisions. Wh...

  Beyond Test Scores: Why School Culture Should Be a Leader’s First Priority Tangela Boler When people talk about improving schools, the conversation often centers around test scores, curriculum, or new instructional strategies. While those elements are important, I have come to realize that one factor often determines whether those initiatives succeed or fail: school culture . As I continue developing as an educational leader, I am learning that culture is not something that happens by accident. It is shaped intentionally by the leadership decisions made every day. School culture refers to the shared beliefs, values, and relationships that shape how a school community functions. When a school has a positive culture, teachers feel supported, students feel safe, and collaboration becomes the norm rather than the exception. However, when school culture is negative or inconsistent, even the best instructional strategies can struggle to gain traction. One thing that has stood out to me...

  Restorative Practices: Leading With Relationships, Not Just Rules Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about restorative practices in schools. At first, I assumed it was just another discipline program—something to add on top of all the other policies we already have. But the more I’ve learned, the more I realize it’s really about relationships, repair, and community . It’s a mindset as much as a set of strategies, and it can completely change how schools respond to conflict and behavior. I watched a video from ASCD called Research Matters: Does Restorative Justice Work? and it really stuck with me. Educators shared stories about students taking responsibility, repairing harm, and rebuilding trust—not just receiving consequences. It made me pause and think: What if our leadership focus shifted from punishment to connection? ( Watch the video here ) Why Restorative Practices Matter for Leaders Restorative practices aren’t something teachers can just implement on their own—they requ...

  Attendance as Leadership: Why Being Present Matters for Students and Schools There’s one issue that always comes up when I’m talking with teachers and administrators: attendance . It’s easy to think of it as “just taking roll,” but over time I’ve come to see that attendance is a mirror of school climate, relationships, and leadership. When students aren’t present, they miss more than instruction — they miss connection, community, and opportunity. I recently came across a video from PBS’s ncIMPACT series that looks closely at how schools are approaching the attendance crisis. The piece, School-Based Strategies to Address the Attendance Crisis , shows how chronic absenteeism isn’t just a data point — it’s a lived experience for students, families, and leaders trying to make school a place students want to come to every day. ( pbs.org ) Why Attendance Is a Leadership Issue When I first started my administrative coursework, I assumed attendance problems were mostly a “teacher or fa...

  Seeing Clearly: How Data Visualization Can Transform Teacher Feedback Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how school leaders share data with teachers — not just the raw numbers, but meaningful insights that actually help them grow. Traditional feedback methods, like written observations or narrative evaluations, are important, sure, but sometimes they don’t make trends obvious or show teachers how they’re progressing. One approach that’s really caught my attention is using visual dashboards or infographics . I came across a really interesting example from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), which looked at key practices for visualizing teacher effectiveness data. The infographic broke down observation scores, student survey feedback, and professional development involvement into a clear visual layout. Honestly, seeing the data laid out this way made me pause — it made me think, “Wow, this could actually change how teachers see their own progress.” ( IES, 2021 ) Why ...

  Finding Calm: The Role of Mindfulness in Schools Lately, I’ve been reflecting a lot on the emotional and social needs of students, especially after spending time in classrooms where stress and anxiety seem to affect both learning and behavior. One thing that keeps coming up in my reading and fieldwork is mindfulness —the practice of paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment. Mindfulness isn’t just meditation or yoga in schools. It’s about creating space for students and teachers to pause, notice their thoughts and feelings, and respond rather than react. As I watch teachers juggle lessons, behavioral issues, and testing schedules, it’s clear that helping students manage stress is just as important as teaching content. Why Mindfulness Matters Research shows that mindfulness practices in schools can improve focus, emotional regulation, and even academic performance ( Zenner, Herrnleben-Kurz, & Walach, 2014 ). Students who participate in mindfulness programs often...