Student Strengths Alive and Well in APS: Building Leaders Through CliftonStrengths

Submitted by: Dr. Kyra Caldwell Templeton, Program Director of Student Engagement & Co-Advisor of the Student Advisory Council (SAC)

The 2025–2026 school year has brought a transformative shift to Atlanta Public Schools (APS). From the Student Advisory Council to Midtown High School’s gifted internship class, students are discovering their unique talents through the CliftonStrengths assessment—a journey guided by dedicated APS strengths coaches and grounded in a powerful principle: when students focus on what’s right with them, extraordinary growth follows.

From Staff Success to Student Empowerment

For over a decade, CliftonStrengths has been woven into the fabric of APS culture for staff development. In 2022, district leaders asked a compelling question: What if we brought this same strengths-based approach to students?

The answer began with pilot cohorts in the Student Advisory Council and Gifted Internship programs at Midtown and Carver Early College. The results were undeniable. Now, APS is strategically scaling this work to reach every high school student, positioning strengths as a cornerstone of engagement, belonging, and leadership development.

A Clear Vision for Every Student

The district’s Student Strengths Proposal lays out an ambitious yet achievable roadmap:

Every APS high school student will understand and appreciate their unique strengths.

Through Strengths 101 workshops, one-on-one coaching sessions, and opportunities to serve as Strengths Champions, students will develop a language for their talents that follows them into college applications, career pathways, and beyond.

The Three-Session Journey

Students experience a carefully scaffolded progression designed to move from discovery to application:

Session 1 – Strengths 101
Students complete the CliftonStrengths assessment and discover their Top 5 talent themes.

This is where they begin to “Name, Claim, and Aim” their natural patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving.

Session 2 – Team Grid
Moving beyond individual discovery, students map their collective strengths alongside peers. Coaches and teachers use this data to align talents with classroom projects, leadership roles, and collaborative tasks.

Session 3 – Customized Deep Dive
Students explore targeted applications tailored to their goals; whether building team dynamics, developing leadership skills, or crafting their personal brand for college and career.

The program also offers specialized modules like “Rise Up: Elevating Your Game with Strengths” for student-athletes and “We Ready! Using Strengths to Navigate Next Steps After High School” for seniors preparing for their next chapter.

Real Students, Real Impact

The proof isn’t just in the framework, it’s in the outcomes:

Students weave their Top 5 themes into college essays and scholarship applications, differentiating themselves in competitive pools
Teachers and counselors use Strengths reports to write more personalized, compelling recommendation letters
Student leaders adopt Strengths language to improve collaboration, resolve conflicts, and communicate more effectively with peers

One student described the experience simply: “I finally have words for who I am and what I bring to a team.”

Powered by Partnership

The 2025–2026 expansion is supported by a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, awarded to APS for student engagement initiatives. These funds provide assessment codes, resource books, and incentives, ensuring the program can reach more students while building sustainable, districtwide capacity.

Aligned With APS’s Strategic Future

The Strengths initiative isn’t operating in isolation. It’s deeply integrated into the district’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, particularly two core commitments:

We Are Caring For Every Child
Strengths coaching expands students’ access to trusted adults who nurture their unique talents. These mentoring relationships build belonging, support positive school culture, and contribute to strategies that reduce chronic absenteeism.

We Are Sparking Student Curiosity
By helping students explore their natural talents, the initiative opens doors to passions, career pathways, and enrichment opportunities—fueling both academic engagement and real-world readiness.

Leading the Way

APS joins a small number of districts nationally that have embedded CliftonStrengths into student leadership structures at scale. As the program grows, students won’t just better understand themselves, they’ll be empowered to thrive in teams, advocate for their needs, and articulate their unique value to colleges and employers.

Don Clifton, the father of Strengths Psychology, believed deeply that “you’ll grow most where you’re already strong.” In classrooms across Atlanta, that philosophy is becoming reality; one student, one strength, one breakthrough at a time.

The possibilities are endless, and the momentum is undeniable: Student Strengths are alive and thriving in APS.