Letting Go to Lead Forward: How Student Leadership Transforms School Communities

When I was training to become an educator, there was an unspoken rule about classroom management: Control first, teach second. The belief was that if you didn’t establish strict authority in the first six weeks, you were in for a chaotic year. So, I entered my early classrooms with a stern face, rigid rules, and zero tolerance for deviation. I had control—but I was miserable.

In the last two years, my work with the students at Pine Bluff Junior High Academy (PBJH) and Explore Academy in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, have completely dismantled that old mindset. Walking alongside them in a journey of student leadership has caused me to rethink the last 18 years of my teaching career. What if I had released control earlier? What if I had truly listened?

With the rapid rise of technology and artificial intelligence, access to global learning experiences has exploded. Students—even those in remote areas—see what’s possible around the world and crave more. A standardized, boxed curriculum might serve as a starting point, but real growth comes from empowering students to choose how they learn and apply knowledge. PBJH and Explore Academy recognized this, and the results have been transformative.

This work is made possible through our partnership with Forward Arkansas, which launched the LeARner Collective to support Arkansas educators in reimagining learning and improving student outcomes. In 2023, The LeARner Collective launched Phase One of our work with schools across Arkansas, identifying what each partner school needed to strengthen their communities. As we transitioned into Phase Two this school year, we grouped schools based on shared goals. For both PBJH and Explore, the focus was clear: help students develop durable skills—those vital competencies needed for high school, careers, and beyond.

Initially, teachers and school leaders met, filled with ideas, resources, and lesson plans. But then someone asked, “How are we going to get student buy-in?” That question stopped us in our tracks—and completely changed our direction. We realized we were doing this for students, but not with them.

Each school assembled a diverse Student Leadership Team—some top performers, some quiet thinkers, and even students who hadn’t always made the best choices. What they had in common was potential. We trained them in the principles of leadership, offering examples and guiding them to see leadership not as a title, but as a responsibility.

They rose to the challenge.

The student teams analyzed their schools, researched durable skills employers value, and identified the competencies they wanted to prioritize. Then, they asked for the mic, they wanted to teach their peers. With teachers as coaches and partners, students created lesson plans that included clear objectives, checks for understanding, individual tasks, and group collaboration. They practiced. They prepared. They delivered.

Their first lessons—focused on Communication and Problem Solving—landed with impact. Afterwards, the teams debriefed, processed peer feedback, and began planning their next set of lessons.

The shift in school culture was immediate. Students began calling each other in rather than calling each other out. Conflicts that once led to fights were now opportunities for conversation. Students took initiative in maintaining classroom culture. Teachers guided instead of governed.

All of this—every step forward—was made possible by stepping back.

Giving up control allowed students to step into leadership. They weren’t just participating—they were owning the process of change. While the materials and support provided by adults were still used, it was the students who activated the transformation. It was authentic, it was relevant, and it worked.

This journey has reaffirmed a truth we often forget: when we listen to students, when we make space for their voices, we don’t lose control, we gain community.

Teachers remain irreplaceable as mentors and facilitators, but the role must evolve. It’s time we trust students to take the lead earlier, to develop their executive function through real decision-making. Because when students are empowered to lead, everyone learns.