Impact of a summer leadership academy on high school student leader development

Abstract

A private university developed a week-long High School Leadership Academy for rising Sophomores. Over a period of two years, students were assessed both on their satisfaction with the program and their self-reported leader development as measured by the Student Leadership Practices Inventory®. Students displayed significant leadership growth across all practice areas, with especially significant improvement in the areas Model the Way and Inspire a Shared Vision. This paper describes the program in detail from formation to execution, presents data from student assessments, and gives recommendations for institutions looking to develop a similar program in the future.