Principals Perspective (November 2022) - Dr. Eliana Lipsky
Dr. Eliana Lipsky

Meaningful Agency Breeds Leadership

A few years ago I had the privilege of participating in a thirteen-month leadership program through the Day School Leadership Training Institute (DSLTI). During this program we learned from some of the very best in the field of Jewish education, including the wonderful Jane Taubenfeld Cohen who transformed the way I frame conversations with one simple question: 

What needs to be true for this child to….[thrive/succeed/learn/make friends/make good choices/etc]

Often, when I think about the question above I find myself asking, “What needs to be true for early adolescents to have and experience agency?” Early adolescents must practice agency to gain the skills needed to have a sense of ownership and responsibility for their academic, social, physical, and spiritual development. In turn, these lead to developing positive, rather than negative, risk taking behaviors. As neuroscientist Dr. Frances Jensen explains, “the chief predictor of adolescent behaviors…is not the perception of risk, but the anticipation of the reward despite the risk…gratification is at the heart of an adolescent’s impulsivity…” (p. 107-108 2015, Jensen) In other words, risk-taking behaviors can be reframed as “reward-seeking” behaviors that are most often the motivators behind early adolescents’ choices. 

At CESJDS we recognize that for middle school students to experience agency they must do so in a safe environment that includes both traditional and innovative spaces, structured and unstructured times, and with the caveat that sometimes agency may not lead to their desired outcome and possibly even lead to failure. Something from which they will learn so that they may achieve better results the next time. We provide our middle school students moments of agency through the use of Collaborative Problem Solving conversations to address student and teacher concerns, providing students room to choose how to use their time during Academic Flex Block and Innovation Minimester, and through student run clubs such as our Jewish Life Club where students help plan middle school community events to mark and celebrate haggim/holidays throughout the school year. 

This fall we incorporated student-led conferences to afford students another space to experience agency and find their voice. Instead of adults talking about student learning, students now have a “seat at the table” to discuss their academic progress with their teachers and parents/guardians together. Initially, many of our students shared frustration and concerns about the new responsibility they now had to participate. Preparing for the conferences, which included two reflection forms per subject area, were also perceived as cumbersome. And yet, after experiencing these opportunities to have a voice and agency in their own learning, many of those same students returned to school sharing that conferences were much better than they had anticipated. Several felt clearer about their own learning goals, what they needed to do to achieve the goals, and acknowledged that going forward taking time to reflect on their plan would be a good way to start. 

Of course, we also learned that there is room for improvement and are now actively working to tweak the logistics and address concerns raised about the intensity of the preparation process prior to Spring conferences. 

The question “what needs to be true for…” positions each student at the center of every decision we make with an eye toward what will afford them the greatest chance to thrive. When faced with a conflict or concern, I encourage each of us to find a moment to breathe and reframe what is happening in that moment so that we may ask, “what needs to be true for my child now so that they may thrive in the future?” We might just find the answer is counterintuitive and requires us, the adults, to step aside and allow our children to stumble, rise, falter, and rise again a few times before they find their footing as emerging leaders.