City school board hears objections to “The Leader in Me” school curriculum

Jamestown fifth-grade teacher Donnie Wilkerson speaks against the FranklinCovey Co.’s “The Leader in Me” program at Tuesdays meeting of the Bardstown Board of Education.

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 11 p.m. — The Bardstown City Schools Board of Education held a special meeting recently to hear a presentation about “The Leader in Me,” a leadership and life skills transformation program created by the FranklinCovey Co.

The values the program is designed around are the seven habits described by best-selling author Stephen Covey in his book,”The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

Board member Kathy Reed listens as Jamestown teacher Donnie Wilkerson talks about his issues with “The Leader in Me” program offered by FranklinCovey Co.

According to FranklinCovey Co.’s website, “The Leader in Me” was originally developed by a school principal and teachers who wanted to teach students life skills such as leadership, responsibility, accountability, problem solving, adaptability, effective communication.

While the board of education did not address “The Leader in Me” at Tuesday’s board meeting, Jamestown Elementary School fifth-grade history teacher Donnie Wilkerson took time to speak to the board about why he is opposed to “The Leader in Me” program.

Stephen Covey was a devout Mormon, and in an eight-page handout, Wilkerson says the seven habits extolled by “The Leader in Me” are basically a distilled, secular version of Mormon values and beliefs.

Wilkerson warned that in his opinion, “The Leader in Me” (TLIM) program violates participants’ religious freedom. His handout cites numerous alleged ties between TLIM schools and local Mormon bishops.

He also alleged TLIM “imposes a cult-like, robotic, corporate atmosphere” into public schools, and forces students to memorize songs and catch phrases related to the seven habits.

Wilkerson also alleged that the program is expensive and requires the use of valuable classroom time spent on seven habits-related materials. He also said there’s no controlled, quantifiable research that proves the effectiveness of “The Leader in Me.”

He also takes issue with the subjective nature of the seven habits, and how they may be right for some but not for everyone. In his handout, he offers a rebuttal of each habit, nothing that individuals who do not share those same habits can be successful in their own right.

“Group work, discovery learning and teamwork must not be held sacrosanct at the expense of solitude, explicit instruction, and individual greatness,” Wilkerson wrote in his handout.

In his own classroom, Wilkerson states he teaches his students to be kind and to show compassion and tolerance for others.

Wilkerson isn’t the only person who has raised questions about the school-based “Leader in Me” program.

A Facebook community, Say NO to “The Leader In Me,” documents news and commentary gathered from the web that expresses skepticism about the program.

In closing, Wilkerson asked the board members to do their own research and give his handout consideration. He told the board he would like to speak to the board when it next discusses “The Leader in Me” program at a future meeting.

While a decision by the board on “The Leader in Me” program was on Tuesday’s agenda, Board Chair Andy Stone said the board would postpone taking any action because board member Jennifer Shrewsbury was absent.

“This is obviously a very important item to our school district, and we feel strongly we need all five members of the board present to vote on this,” Stone said.

The approval may come up at a future board meeting, or possibly at a special-called board meeting, Stone said.

-30-