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Brooklyn City Schools podcast highlights student leadership program partnership
Summary
A Brooklyn City Schools podcast episode features Superintendent Ted Calares and Tom Burton of We Empower discussing a three-year student leadership program that uses activities like leadership acrostics and district partnerships to amplify student voice; a middle-school symposium will engage 96 sixth graders who will implement action plans over the coming months.
Dr. Ted Calares, superintendent of Brooklyn City Schools, hosted a Hurricane Watch podcast episode with Tom Burton, founder of We Empower LLC, to discuss a three-year partnership focused on amplifying student voice through leadership training.
Burton, a former teacher and superintendent, described the program’s core activity: a leadership acrostic where students pick a word for each letter of “leadership,” identify a school problem and design a solution they then present to principals and assistant principals. He said the exercise helps students translate reflection into concrete action and develop sustained engagement.
The program expanded this year through a partnership with neighboring North Olmstead. Burton said about 60 students met in Brooklyn for a joint session during which students from both districts worked together, interacted across tables and collaborated on identifying problems to solve in their communities.
Calares and Burton also previewed a middle-school symposium that will bring 96 sixth graders from multiple districts, including Fairview, Cuyahoga Heights, Independence, North Olmstead and Saint Thomas More, to develop action plans they will implement over the next five to six months and revisit in spring. Burton emphasized the program is intended as ongoing development rather than a one-time event.
Both speakers framed the initiative as rooted in relationship-building and vulnerability, with Burton describing how he leads by sharing failures and using humor to connect with students. Calares said the work is focused on developing the whole child and noted it may not show in state test scores but is integral to the district’s approach.
The episode closed with gratitude from Calares to Burton for his role in the district’s Hurricane Empowerment Project and a reminder that the work is community-centered and aims to grow from a seed into broader change.
