Press Release

Clay County, [August 14, 2024] — USD 379 staff spent the day on August 12th focusing on themselves, which isn’t the norm this time of year, as they were preparing for students on August 14th. All certified and classified staff took part in Leader in Me training at three different locations around the district.

The Leader in Me was originally developed by a principal and teachers who wanted to teach their students life skills such as leadership, responsibility, accountability, problem solving, adaptability, effective communication, and more. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a key component of the overall Leader in Me process.

Since its official launch nearly six years ago, more than 2,500 schools across 35 countries have adopted The Leader in Me. Educators continue to offer feedback on best practices, which provides the basis for continuous improvement and refinement of the process.

USD 379 has signed up for a 4 year program. “Year Zero” will focus solely on staff so everyone can get a solid foundation on what the program is all about. This includes both certified and classified staff, as Leader in Me preaches that everyone has a role in student development and culture building. Teaching students the program will begin in the 2025-26 school year.

Pre-Covid, the Leader in Me was implemented at some schools in the district, but it has never had a full implementation process like the USD 379 will have moving forward.