As school leaders, we talk often about impact. We analyze data, review initiatives, and reflect on outcomes to determine whether our work is truly making a difference. Those measures are important. At the same time, some of the clearest indicators of impact are the ones that resist easy measurement.
Sometimes, impact shows up in small, ordinary moments. For me, one of the clearest signs comes when a student stops me in the hallway and asks, “When are you coming to read to our class?” That question carries more meaning than any formal metric ever could.
Leadership has a way of pulling our attention toward the big work: strategic plans, initiatives, and systems. All of it matters. Still, I have come to believe that it is often the small, intentional moments that shape students’ experiences most deeply. These moments build trust, strengthen relationships, and remind students that they matter. They also remind school leaders why we chose this work in the first place.
In this biweekly column, principals and other authorities on school leadership—including researchers, education professors, district administrators, and assistant principals—offer timely and timeless advice for their peers.
In conversations with other principals, a familiar pattern emerges. The parts of the job they value most are often the first to get crowded out. Time in classrooms. Time with students that is not tied to discipline, observation, or evaluation.
Many leaders begin the year with a commitment to be more present in learning spaces, but the daily realities of the role, including emails, meetings, and unexpected challenges, quickly take over. Without realizing it, the heart of the work slips quietly to the edges.
A few years ago, I found myself asking a simple but important question: How can I be more intentional with my time with students while also creating meaningful schoolwide connections?
The answer came through a practice that was both simple and surprisingly powerful: scheduled read-alouds.
One classroom at a time, one story at a time, I began reclaiming moments that matter by:
Connecting with students at a different level
Visibility is often emphasized in school leadership. Principals in hallways, popping into classrooms, greeting students at arrival. Visibility matters. But there is a meaningful difference between being seen and genuinely connecting.
Connection happens when students experience leaders as part of their world, not just as authority figures. Sitting down in a classroom to read a story shifts that dynamic. Scheduled read-alouds ensure my presence in learning spaces is consistent and positive, not limited to moments of concern or evaluation. These experiences humanize leaders.
Reading aloud allows leaders to slow down. It requires presence, openness, and a willingness to share space with students in an authentic way. In those moments, students see us as storytellers and listeners, not just decisionmakers. Over time, those moments add up. Students begin to seek us out, not because they have to but because they want to.
Reinforcing schoolwide themes and culture
Read-alouds also serve as a meaningful way to reinforce schoolwide values. Stories give shape to ideas that can otherwise feel abstract. Concepts like kindness, perseverance, empathy, and belonging become more accessible when students encounter them through characters and shared experiences.
When leaders intentionally select texts that reflect the school’s vision and values, those stories become common reference points. We can then return to these shared references later in assemblies, classroom conversations, and informal interactions with students. Over time, this consistency helps align what we say matters with what students actually experience each day.
Reclaiming joy in leadership
One of the most unexpected benefits of this practice has been what it offers me personally as a leader. School leadership is demanding, and the weight of responsibility is real. Without intentionally creating space for joy, burnout is a constant risk.
Reading to students reconnects me to the heart of education: children, curiosity, stories, and learning. These moments ground me. They restore energy on difficult days and serve as quiet reminders that the work matters.
When leaders prioritize joy, we model balance for staff. We signal that fulfillment and meaning are not distractions from leadership but essential to it. Joy, in this sense, becomes a leadership strategy, one that fosters optimism across the school community.
Measuring impact in meaningful ways
Impact is not always easy to quantify. But when students ask when you are coming back to read, when they reference stories months later, or when they greet you with trust and excitement, those moments speak clearly.
As school leaders, we do not have to choose between managing the work and connecting with students. With intention, we can do both. By leaning into small moments, such as a read-aloud, a shared laugh, or a story told, we create ripple effects that extend far beyond the classroom.
One read-aloud at a time, we build relationships.
One moment at a time, we shape culture.
And one connection at a time, we make a lasting impact on the students we serve.
