Leadership Beyond Titles: Developing Student Agency with Jeremy LaCasse
What if leadership isn't just for those with formal titles? In this illuminating conversation, Jeremy LaCasse shares how intentional leadership education can transform students and educational communities alike.
Jeremy brings a unique perspective as both former boarding school student and current Assistant Head of School for Student Life at Taft School. Drawing from his 22 years with the Gardner Carney Leadership Institute, he explains how leadership can be taught through everyday experiences in any educational setting. At its core, this approach helps students develop agency, self-awareness, and collaborative skills that extend beyond classroom walls.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How to redefine leadership as skills that can be taught rather than innate talents
Practical ways to incorporate leadership education into existing academic settings
Techniques for creating psychologically safe spaces through effective feedback loops
Strategies for building faculty cultures that model collaborative leadership
How leadership education helps students develop agency in the face of social media pressures
Why relationships, not transactions, should be at the heart of education
Featured Guest: Jeremy LaCasse is Assistant Head of School for Student Life at Taft School in Connecticut and executive director of the Gardner Carney Leadership Institute. His impressive career spans roles as acting assistant head at Cheshire Academy, head of school at Kents Hill School, head of senior school at Shady Side Academy, and dean of students at Fountain Valley School. A graduate of Berkshire School and Bowdoin College, Jeremy holds a master's from Columbia's Teachers College. Throughout his career, he has taught history, coached skiing and crew, and led outdoor programs while speaking at numerous NAIS and TABS conferences.
Recommended Resources: Gardner Carney Leadership Institute (gclileadership.org) offers professional development through their Leadership Lab: June 16-22 at Fountain Valley School, Colorado Springs.
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