Canyon Elementary Integrating Leadership Program into Curriculum

GLENDALE – June 10, 2009 – Teachers at Canyon Elementary will take a few days out of their summer vacation, without pay, to go through a three-day leadership training program on Stephen R. Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The training is the first step in the school’s efforts to offer the only leadership signature program in the Peoria Unified School District (PUSD).

The PUSD Governing Board recently gave the approval to create a leadership signature program at Canyon Elementary. The school, whose vision is to cultivate the next generation of leaders, selected an overall leadership focus in order to impact all students, rather than only a few.

To become an official Stephen R. Covey Leader In Me school, the entire staff must be trained in the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by an official Covey trainer. PUSD's director of Assessment and Development for K-12, David Wing, an official Covey trainer, provided the training. Then, starting with the 2009-2010 school year, teachers will train all kindergarten through eighth-grade students with official Covey Leader In Me student materials.  The goal is to integrate the seven habits into the current curriculum and have them become part of the school's culture.

Once the school has built the leadership foundation using the Covey habits, they will add more leadership skills from other sources, such as Jim Collin's book, Good to Great. The school also plans to instill other 21st Century leadership skills in the students, focusing on critical thinking and problem solving, as well as help them develop global awareness and financial literacy.

Another important part of the school’s plans include providing students with opportunities to use their leadership skills, tools, qualities and attitudes. These include aligning school governance with the local, state and federal system, where the school would have its own legislature with each classroom having one senator and one or more representatives. Students will also engage in service projects that students themselves will initiate, implement and evaluate, preparing annual reports on the achievement of their goals.