Pictured is Sean Covey, the President of FranklinCovey Education greeting students at Riddle Elementary

Mattoon CUSD #2 announced at their November 15th board meeting that they have been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse District by FranklinCovey Education. This recognition is evidence that the district has produced outstanding results in schools and student outcomes, and because of the extraordinary impact the district is having on staff, students, parents, and the greater community.

Leader in Me is an evidence-based PK-12 model, developed in partnership with educators, designed to build resilience and leadership in students, create a high-trust culture, and help improve academic achievement. This model equips students, educators, and families with the leadership and life skills needed to thrive, adapt, and contribute in a dynamic world.

Leader in Me unites students, staff, and families around a common goal to prepare students with college-, career-, and life-readiness skills that are necessary to thrive in today’s ever-changing, fast paced environment. With Leader in Me, students learn to become self-aware, interdependent, take initiative, plan ahead, set and track goals, do their homework, prioritize their time, be considerate of others, communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, find creative solutions, value differences, live a balanced life, and contribute to society.

Tim Condron, Superintendent of MCUSD2  said, “We are honored that all six of our schools have been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse Schools. We have seen amazing results from implementing the Leader in Me model at our school, such as increased student leadership, service learning, and ownership of their learning and progress. This model has not only had a significant impact at the school level, but has also helped us align our work across the district. With everyone working together as a team, we expect to see continued and greater results over time.”

Within the PK-12 education community, it is common for schools to receive recognition for outstanding achievement. Lighthouse Certification is a highly regarded standard that is attainable by every Leader in Me School. Schools that achieve the certification are great examples of a strong leadership model. They have experienced significant measurable results, aligned to their goals, through implementation of the principles and practices in Leader in Me. Schools typically apply for this certification three to five years after a school begins the Leader in Me model.

FranklinCovey Education has designed the Lighthouse Rubric to establish high standards for quality and, ultimately, school outcomes. Schools use the Lighthouse Rubric to measure outcomes in three areas: teaching leadership principles, creating a leadership culture, and aligning academic systems. Schools also measure their success as it relates to their unique school. Lighthouse Schools serve as examples to their community and to other schools.

Sean Covey, President, FranklinCovey Education, said, “We are thrilled to recognize Mattoon CUSD #2 as a Leader in Me Lighthouse District. Schools who achieve this Lighthouse Certification are great examples of a strong leadership model, and of what it means to be a Leader in Me school. This district has experienced incredible results by implementing the principles and practices related to Leader in Me. And we are so pleased and honored to be their partner and to celebrate the success they are experiencing.”

Since its official launch, more than 7,000 public, private, and charter schools across 60 plus countries have adopted the Leader in Me model, over 700 of which have achieved the prestigious Lighthouse Certification, including all six of the Mattoon CUSD #2 schools. Mattoon High School and LIFT Central Illinois are only the sixth and seventh Lighthouse High Schools in the world and Franklin Preschool is currently the only Lighthouse Preschool in the world with the designation. Mattoon CUSD #2 is the third district to have all of its schools designated, but the first district to do it on the same day and as a district system, rather than as individual schools. The certification 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 a common language, and feel leadership through a culture of caring, relationships, and affirmation. 

  • Leadership is shared with students through a variety of leadership roles. 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 (The 4 Disciplines of Execution) 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.

Mattoon CUSD #2 will maintain its Lighthouse Certification for two years and will continue to foster its growth and proficiency in exemplifying a leadership culture and principles. At the end of the two years the district will recertify its Lighthouse Certification through a virtual self-assessment, describing and celebrating its growth and accomplishments since its original Lighthouse designation.

Leader in Me training includes establishing vision for the district, goal setting, personal-accountability systems and is aligned with commonly held best in class educational research, content and best practices. At the core of the Leader in Me model is the belief that every child possesses unique strengths and has the ability to be a leader. The foundation of Leader in Me is its PK-12 framework, the See-Do-Get model, and the Student Leadership Portrait competencies.

Leader in Me is implemented through an educator professional development model. Teachers and staff learn key concepts and integrate them into existing systems. FranklinCovey has robust implementation support to ensure success for individual schools, district-wide, distance learning, and online delivery of content. Coaching supports implementation excellence and sustained achievement across all implementation modalities.

Leader in Me is having a significant, measurable impact on schools all over the world and in the lives of millions of students, parents, teachers, and administrators. To learn more about the impact the model is having, see the following research highlights: (www.leaderinme.org/research-highlights-academics/).

For more information on the model that has been implemented, visit www.leaderinme.org.

To view the Mattoon CUSD #2 Leader in Me website, visit www.leaderinMCUSD2.com.

Pictured above is Sean Covey, the President of FranklinCovey Education greeting students at Riddle Elementary School.

Watch the video below of students from around the district, making the Lighthouse announcement.