In honor of their campus implementation of the Leader in Me Program, Blackland Prairie and Double File Trail elementary schools have been designated Lighthouse Schools by the Franklin Covey Institute.

Blackland Prairie and Double File Trail are two of six schools in the Central Texas region to earn this distinction and join Teravista Elementary School as Round Rock ISD schools that have reached this status.

“Blackland Prairie and Double File Trail distinctions as Lighthouse campuses are the result of their campus-wide efforts to embody leadership and instill those valuable qualities in every student,” Superintendent Steve Flores, Ph.D. said. “This has been a schoolwide vision for each of their campuses, which will continue to permeate their campus culture and enhance the teaching and learning that takes place each day.”

Blackland and Double File Trail students and staff learn leadership skills through universal principles, how to identify and take action toward goals and to work with others to attain those goals. Students also learn the art of shaking hands, engaging adults in appropriate conversation and speaking in public

The designation as a Lighthouse School indicates a campus is serving as a model for leadership development and implementation of the Leader in Me. After three years, both campuses went through a formal Lighthouse review by the Franklin Covey Institute.

“We are thrilled to recognize Blackland Prairie and Double File Trail as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School,” Sean Covey, President, FranklinCovey Education, said.  “Schools that achieve this Lighthouse Certification are great examples of a strong leadership model and process, and of what it means to be a Leader in Me school. These campuses have experienced transformational results by implementing the principles and practices related to Leader in Me. And, we are so pleased and honored to celebrate the success they are experiencing.”

Since its official launch nearly a decade ago, nearly 4,000 public, private, and charter schools across 50 countries have adopted the Leader in Me process, while more than 300 schools have achieved the prestigious Lighthouse certification. It is earned by schools that demonstrate the following.

  • The principal, school administration and staff engage in ongoing learning and develop 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 through effective communication and mutual respect.
  • The school community is able to see leadership in the physical environment, hear leadership through the common language of the 7 Habits, and feel leadership through a culture of caring, relationships, and affirmation.
  • Leadership is shared with students through a variety of leadership roles and student voice leads to innovations within the school.
  • Schoolwide, classroom, family and community leadership events provide authentic environments to celebrate leadership, build culture, and allow students to practice leadership skills.
  • The school utilizes the 4DX® process 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 toward goals 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.

Blackland Prairie and Double File Trail will maintain their Lighthouse Certification the next two years and will continue to foster their growth and proficiency in exemplifying a leadership culture and principles. At the end of the two years they will be able to recertify its Lighthouse Certification through a virtual self-assessment, describing and celebrating their growth and accomplishments their original Lighthouse designation.

Leader in Me is a whole-school transformation model and process—developed in partnership with educators—that empowers students with the leadership and life skills they need to thrive in the 21st century. Leader in Me helps students learn how to become self-reliant, take initiative, plan ahead, set and track goals, do their homework, prioritize their time, manage their emotions, be considerate of others, express their viewpoint persuasively, resolve conflicts, find creative solutions, value differences, and live a balanced life.