WHO: The Leaders of Student Leadership Development
Taking the time to consider some of the leaders in leadership education is important to understand how this subject can be carried out with students. This section ranges from business professionals, to outdoor adventure schools, to formal education programs. People and programs highlighted so far include:
JIM COLLINS
As author of the well-known book Good to Great, Jim Collins, is one example of someone that is leading the field of leadership studies (Reid III et. al., 2014). In his research he set out to understand the components of what took companies from being good at what they do, to making them great in their given fields (2007). While he wanted to steer away from focusing on leadership and management because he believed it was too easy to blame the leader, he could not ignore the overwhelming results that showed “Level 5 Leadership” was an essential component of any company that was classified as great (Collins, 2007). “Level 5 Leadership,” as Collins describes it, is made up humility and a strong resolve (or dedication) for the organization (Collins, 2007). It is this idea, Collins argues, that drives great organizations and great companies.
One study took this idea a step forward and used attributes that made up humility and strong resolve and asked employees to rank their bosses on these attributes (Reid III et. al., 2014). The researchers found that their instrument they created could in fact identify “Level 5 Leaders” that met Collins’ standards in his research (Reid III et al., 2014). Reid and his colleagues provide one example of measuring leadership attributes. This makes it even more important to create opportunities for students to develop the skills before they are assessed at the professional level. As Collins stated, “Under the right circumstances—with self reflection, a mentor, loving parents, a significant life experience, or other factors—the seed can begin to develop” (Collins, 2007, p. 405).
MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION PROGRAMS
Based on a recognized need, students in business professional programs need to have a strong leadership training program. Masters of Business Administration (MBA) programs have to figure out how to implement leadership programs into their curriculum and student experiences (Kass & Grandzol, 2011). One MBA program at the Univerisity of Pennsylvania decided to study the effects of an intense leadership program as part of a class, by sending one section of a course on a mountain expedition while not sending a second section and then assessing leadership practices demonstrated using an inventory survey (Kass & Grandzol, 2011). The students that participated in the expedition demonstrated improvement in all five categories, while those in the strictly classroom setting improved in only three of the five categories (Kass & Grandzol, 2011). It is interesting to note that whether in the classroom or in the field, most of these students saw improvements in leadership practices. In contrast those in the field experienced incredible life-changing gains, as demonstrated in the study, which this article argues needs to happen in order to truly transform students.
OUTWARD BOUND (OB) and the NATIONAL OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP SCHOOL (NOLS)
Outward Bound was founded in 1941 and NOLS was founded in 1965. Outward Bound (OB) and The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) have been working in the field of leadership for a long time now running expedition style programs (Goldenberg et. al., 2011; Welsh, 2007). While many people believe that OB and NOLS are strikingly different, one study found that despite those beliefs the outcomes and values that emerge from participants are quite similar (Goldenberg et al., 2011). The resources these organizations provide to leadership development are priceless. It opens the door for conversation on how outdoor education can play a large role in student leadership development and to inform the field.
Outward Bound’s model of leadership has even extended to the corporate world; former CEO and cofounder of Home Depot, Arthur Blank stated that Outward Bound leadership has "helped to guide my own business and personal life, and the professional development of numerous Home Depot managers” (Outward Bound USA, 2007, backcover). Outward Bound also offers their educational framework on their website and outlines their commitment to high achievement through active learning, character development, and teamwork (Outward Bound, 2015).
On their website, NOLS offers information about leadership and profiles of people that have gone through a NOLS leadership course (NOLS, 2015). They range from business leaders to conservationists but they all have worked to become better leaders in their given fields. One study aimed to articulate the mechanisms of learning in a NOLS course. The researchers found that the instructors themselves played a large role in student’s growth and learning (Sibthorp, et. al., 2011). This strengthens the idea that NOLS is transferring leadership skills and education through their instructors effectively and that there is something to learn from the organization.
SHORT-TERM EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Short term educational programs have an impact on leadership development, although slightly different than long term programs.
Quikscience, an affiliate of Quiksilver, is a project created to get middle and high students engaged in science as well as developing a capacity for collaboration and service learning, projects that require leadership skills (Lemus et. al., 2010). In Quikscience, students worked in teams of six with a coach or mentor to carry out science projects in marine science in their community. In a teacher survey, teachers expressed an emerging theme that the program’s biggest success was the use of creative leadership skills and grounding in the community (Lemus et al., 2010).
In another study on a residential environmental education program it was found that students learning and knowledge of the environment increased, but their social patterns and decision of where they would rather spend more time did not change, a pattern seen in short-term programs (Stern et. al., 2008). Another study, on the effects of short-term leadership development programs, showed that short programs were effective for understanding values, team development, discussion facilitation and conflict management skills (Rosch & Caza, 2012). This study showed that effects for some leadership competencies were just as strong three months post program, but some leadership competencies never changed from the first day demonstrating that more complex leadership competencies, moral reasoning and systems thinking, need to be fostered in a long-term model (Rosch & Caza, 2012).
LONG-TERM FORMAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Long-term formal education programs are much different when it comes to leadership. Formal education models must balance different challenges, especially academic performance pressures. This section will speak to two programs overseas as well as the Knowledge is Power Program.
In the United Kingdom, English students from level three through twelve at Woodlea Primary are participating in leadership positions at schools and working with teachers and educators to discuss what they learned through the process (Thomson, 2012). While this might be another example of fostering only those students already in leadership positions, it provides a look into what students are learning through this long-term development process. Students stated they were motivated and engaged, they had more creative learning practices, they showed citizenship values locally and globally, and they demonstrated citizenship practices (Thomson, 2012).
In Tasmania, Australia there is a large focus on outdoor (or field) education. Within that field have been some strong bottom-up changes in curriculum and one course in review actually added a leadership-learning outcome (Dyment et al., 2014). The change offered some challenges to teachers as far as not having the professional development or resources to carry out the ambiguous goals, however it did allow for teachers to teach at a higher level and the students displayed a greater amount of engagement (Dyment et. al., 2014). While the challenges these teachers faced can be addressed, and will be in the next section, the benefits of teaching at a higher level and engaging students make a strong argument for the importance of student leadership development in adolescent education.
Since 1994 when KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) started in Houston, Texas, charter schools have popped up all over the U.S. (Boyd, et. al., 2014). These charter schools work to increase student discipline and achievement; when compared to similar public school demographic it was found that KIPP charter schools significantly achieve greater student achievement (Boyd et. al., 2014). It is how these schools achieve that is important to the conversation of leadership education and development. The culture of these schools is focused on achievement, discipline, college attendance, and test scores. Even the students know it. However they reach acheivement in a way that motivates and encourages students by holding pep rallies, water balloon fights, and dance parties (Boyd et. al., 2014). The authors stated “while none of these activities seem to be related to the specific items that students would soon face on the benchmark exam, it was obvious that teamwork and leadership were being developed” (Boyd et. al., 2014, p. 53). Students in these KIPP schools, 144 across the country, are encouraged not only to succeed themselves, but also to help and support those around them to succeed (Boyd et. al., 2014). This is the very definition of leadership and what educators want to see their students do, not just in the classroom but as they move into higher education and become citizens of the community. KIPP schools have taken the challenge of standardized testing and turned it into a team initiative for teachers, students, parents, and administrators.