Encouraging Student Leadership in Elementary School

Giving elementary students leadership roles is a great way to build confidence, create community, and even help manage the daily operations of the school. However, it can be easy for a few students to fill all of the spots, which may cause other students to feel like they aren’t meant to be leaders. With an expansive view of leadership, a balance of leadership selection processes, and practical accountability, elementary schools can gain the benefits of leadership across a wide breadth of the student population.

Maintain an Expansive View of Leadership

The first step is to provide many different leadership opportunities. I’ve been very fortunate to partner with other teachers, staff, and principals who continue to expand my thinking about what student leadership can look like.

Serving: One of the main ways that students can lead is by doing something to help the school. At our school, we have a tech team of students who set up and manage the stage, microphones, and sound system for our gatherings. We have a safety patrol that assists students as they cross the street to the school. We also have principal helpers who assist younger students at their lockers and perform weekly tasks such as gathering recycling and picking up playground balls. 

Informing: Giving information to others, especially in ways that are clear, compassionate, and impactful, is another facet of leadership. Every day, our news show advisers guide students in recording a short broadcast that shares practical scheduling information as well as learning opportunities such as Black History Month and Women’s History Month. Student council representatives from each class are responsible for giving information to their class about upcoming events and initiatives. Another student group illustrated and posted motivating messages in hallways throughout the building. 

Modeling: The simplest way to lead is to do and have others follow. In our school, choir members model singing (including specific singing parts and general stage presence) during our schoolwide gatherings. Student council officers onstage running gatherings model appropriate listening behaviors. The drumline models motions and chants for students to join in.

Representing: Representing students takes two forms. Sometimes students make decisions on behalf of others such as in the student council. Other times, students represent their class in performances or contests. In any activity where a student or student group is presenting to the school or community, whether it is a musical performance, project, or contest, that student/group is representing and leading the school. 

ALLOW VARIETY in Leadership Selection

An expansive view of leadership means there will be many roles for students. Balancing how these roles are selected will help ensure that a large portion of the student population is participating. Leaders can be self-selected, teacher-selected, or peer-selected. Each selection process has challenges and opportunities. 

Any leadership selection needs to have criteria that match the expectations of the leader. Sometimes this is overlooked. Valedictorians are often selected as graduation speakers simply due to their GPA, not based on their public speaking skills. A student body president might be elected on their ability to influence a crowd when their actual duties require more policy-making and negotiation skills. As I’ll describe next, when the expectations of the leadership role are clearly defined, it is easier to determine how to choose a candidate and who would be best to determine a match of the candidate to the criteria.

Availability (student selected): In elementary settings, many leadership positions involve skills that students do not have and will need to develop, such as being a safety patrol officer or setting up sound equipment. The main criteria for these positions are willingness and availability. These criteria are generally best left to the student to determine. These are also positions that are not limited to a small group. For these types of opportunities, students volunteer and then teachers can determine their level of leadership by students’ proven abilities and commitment.

Specific skills (selected by a teacher or other adult): When a leadership opportunity calls for a specific developed skill set and the roles are very limited in number, teacher or other authority selected is the best option. Our principal chose students to represent each class in the Geography Bee based on their test scores. I, as music teacher, chose students to sing solos based on their singing performance. As students mature, it can be possible to have students involved in these kinds of skill-based assessments when the criteria are clearly explained to them. 

Social capital (peer selected): Having students select their own leaders creates accountability. There are always leaders in peer groups; formalizing this leadership through an election can be a way to increase the positive effect that teachers and other authority figures can have on these leaders. 

When the Covid-19 pandemic affected school traditions and policies, our student council officers were important resources who took the pulse of what the larger student body wanted and were able to talk through unpopular changes that needed to be made. Because the student leaders were involved in the decision-making process, they were able to communicate with and lead the rest of the student body through the necessary adjustments.

Because peer selection can be a very emotional process, it’s essential that the voting criteria and duties of the job are clearly communicated to the students. At our school, student council officers (who are elected by their peers) do a lot of public speaking. They also organize and communicate schoolwide initiatives. So, the election process involves tasks that demonstrate these skills. Candidates record speeches that help voters learn about the candidate, assess the candidate’s speaking skills, and observe their ability to engage an audience. Candidates also make catchy flyers that are posted around the school. This shows a candidate’s skill in communicating information.

Focus on Practical Accountability

With all of these leadership opportunities, accountability is necessary so that roles don’t become titles without responsibilities. If you’re reaching a wide range of students, you’ll have a wide range of outcomes. Leadership growth, like academic growth, isn’t linear. Students will need support to grow, safe spaces to fail, and opportunities to gracefully exit roles that they might not be ready for yet.

While many of the roles can make the school more efficient, involving students will initially mean more work for the teachers and staff who have the responsibility of organizing the leaders. But it’s worth it—not only in the time and energy eventually gained, but also in the growth and progress seen in students!