Student-Centered Leadership

It’s one thing to “talk a good game”. It’s another thing to model the leadership approach necessary to develop high performing teams, solve problems of practice, and improve outcomes for students.

Superintendent’s Equity + Empathy Ambassadors

Taking Risks for Student Centered Leadership

What better way to improve outcomes for students than to model authentic, student-centered and student-connected leadership? Students don’t care how much you know or what title you hold until they know that you are accessible, until they feel your authenticity in their interactions with you, and until they learn that you care about their wellbeing and success.

For me, it’s about:

  • Authentically CONNECTING with students.
  • Loving on them.
  • Amplifying their voice (by cultivating ongoing storytelling and giving them a seat at the “decision making” table).
  • Watching them grow!

Taking Risks for Student Centered Leadership

What better way to improve outcomes for students than to model authentic, student-centered and student-connected leadership? Students don’t care how much you know or what title you hold until they know that you are accessible, until they feel your authenticity in their interactions with you, and until they learn that you care about their wellbeing and success.

For me, it’s about:

  • Authentically CONNECTING with students.
  • Loving on them.
  • Amplifying their voice (by cultivating ongoing storytelling and giving them a seat at the “decision making” table).
  • Watching them grow!

Student-Centered Leadership Examples

Cultural Leadership

  • Extensive experience establishing a culture of trust and shared accountability that contributes to a welcoming, affirming, high quality learning environment for all students and employees.
  • Consistently implement the LeadSimply framework by:
    • (a) modeling the behavior that I expect to see of others,
    • (b) connecting with those that I lead, and
    • (c) involving them as much as possible.
  • Established a restorative approach to building a professional learning community that “re-cultured” the district and institutionalized the district’s response to success and opportunities for improvement.

Anti-Racist Leadership

  • Experience hiring, leading, supervising, and guiding leaders through an equity lens.
  • Drafted bold action steps with both governance and operational opportunities for school districts to combat systemic racism.
  • Created the first CHCCS Superintendent’s Student Equity & Empathy Ambassador program which fosters student advocacy, agency, leadership, and engagement in social justice action.
  • Use of the Racial Equity Decision Making Protocol (REDP).

SEL + Wellness Advocate

  • Developed and led implementation of a comprehensive School-Based Mental Health program.
  • Continuous advocate for social emotional learning curriculum, school-based mental health programs and supporting the whole child.
  • Ongoing advocacy and support for increased mental health resources, systemic social-emotional learning (SEL) implementation, and the advancement of SEL as a lever for deep, meaningful equity work.

Micro-Political Leadership

  • Extensive experience in collaborating with Legislative Liaisons, non-profit and professional learning organizations, School Boards, local, state, and federal government officials, and influential community members to assess and balance the values, interests, and goals of each stakeholder group.
  • Skilled at redirecting priorities and actions to the needs of people (students and staff) rather than reacting to politics.
  • Unapologetically student-centered with adult support and accountability as a driver for organizational success.

Social Emotional Support Services (SESS) Program

Developed by Dr. Hamlett, with the assistance of an Alternative School Principal, clinicians, and other district leaders.