The first few weeks of school set the tone for everything that follows.
School leaders spend this time establishing routines, communicating expectations, and building momentum for the year ahead. But one of the most important questions they should be asking is:
What kind of learners are we developing?
If we want students to become independent thinkers who can set goals, reflect on their learning, and take ownership of their progress, leaders can’t leave those outcomes to chance. They must be intentionally developed through the leadership decisions and instructional expectations.
Independent learners aren’t developed by accident. They’re developed through intentional leadership.
When every classroom uses a consistent approach to helping students understand what they’re learning, why it matters, and how they’ll know they’re successful, schools begin to move from compliance to ownership.
As John Hattie notes, “Visible teaching and learning occurs when learning is the explicit and transparent goal…”
Over the next four weeks, I’m sharing a practical blog series designed specifically for school leaders. Together, we’ll explore three high-impact leadership moves that help build learner agency across classrooms, followed by a simple 30-day implementation plan you can use to launch the school year with purpose.
Building learner agency is about creating leadership systems that help every student move from compliance to ownership.
Let’s begin with one of the most powerful leadership moves you can make in the first 30 days of school: establishing a schoolwide goal-setting routine.
Leadership Move: Establish a Schoolwide Goal-Setting Routine
A learning target posted on the board does not automatically create student ownership.
Students may be able to read the objective and still have no real understanding of what they are learning, why it matters, or how they will know they are successful.
That is why goal setting must become more than a teacher practice. It must become a leadership priority.
A strong schoolwide goal-setting routine helps students answer three essential questions:
- What am I learning?
- Why does it matter?
- How will I know I am successful?
When students can answer these questions in their own words, they are more likely to engage with purpose, monitor their progress, and persist when learning becomes difficult.
The leadership move is not simply asking teachers to post learning targets. It is creating a shared expectation that goals are actively used throughout instruction.
During classroom walkthroughs, leaders can look for evidence that students:
- Explain the learning goal in their own words
- Describe what success looks like
- Revisit the goal during the lesson
- Monitor their own progress
And a useful follow-up coaching question is:
How are students making sense of today’s learning goal rather than simply completing a task?
The goal is not for one teacher to use goal setting well. The goal is for every student to experience learning clarity across every classroom.
Next week in the series
Many students can tell you what they completed.
Far fewer can tell you what they learned, which strategy helped them, where they struggled, or what they need to do next.
That gap matters.
Without reflection, students remain dependent on teachers to evaluate progress and determine next steps.