Who doesn’t love the movie “E.T.”? The relationship between this harmonious, botany-loving alien and an innocent little boy from the suburbs is enchanting because they are totally connected.

Elliot actually experiences E.T.’s hunger, fear, joy and sickness. E.T. and Elliot are a picture of true empathy — seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another.

Empathy drives connection. Athens City Schools has championed a new idea that seeks to develop greater empathy for the student experience.

Across the district, principals and teachers are participating in the Stanford d.school’s “Shadow a Student Challenge,” where school leaders come together to “walk in the shoes” of their students and take action at their school.

“Shadow a Student is a fun, illuminating and supportive journey where school leaders come together to empathize with their students so they can improve the educational experience in their school,” said Alyson Carpenter, professional learning specialist for ACS.

Educators and researchers have long known that shadowing can lead to powerful observations and insights to drive change. The Shadow a Student Challenge provides methods and a network to help school leaders achieve deeper learning for all students.

The challenge is an exercise in empathy and understanding . The shadowers follow one student for a full day, eating lunch with them, attending classes and even riding the bus with them. As part of the process, school leaders receive step-by-step instructions, materials to support their learning and tools to help them start hacking towards deeper learning.

The challenge is designed to build empathy, which is the foundation for human-centered design and key to the innovation process.

“The purpose is not to observe classes, but to immerse yourself in a student’s experience, from bus to bell, and then to share your insights as a positive driver for change,” Carpenter said.

The universal purpose of the challenge is to amplify the practice of shadowing, create a community of leaders driven to make change in their schools and support them to take action toward deeper learning. The challenge is open to all school leaders, at any school, anywhere.

Always at the forefront of opportunity and innovation, ACS is excited to bring this to our schools. ACS understands that newfound creative confidence changes how people think about themselves and their ability to impact the world.

“We know that leading with empathy, challenging assumptions and making experiments happen can deepen teaching and leadership practices,” said Dr. Susie Wise, director of the Stanford d.school’s K12 Lab Network. “An integral part of design thinking is to empathize with your users, and what better way to fully understand the student experience at a school than to walk in a student’s shoes for a full day?”

Once a shadower has completed the challenge, he is asked to seek and share ways to improve teaching and learning based upon his experience.

“Students are impacted when the teachers create their ‘hack,’ in which the shadower acts on at least one idea that was sparked from the experience,” Carpenter said.

Experiences that help people unlock their creative potential and apply it to the world can be truly transformative. ACS believes the Shadow a Student challenge will be a catalyst for continual improvement and positive change in our schools.

As we walk a day in the shoes of our students, engagement and empathy are the goals. Implementation of new ideas will affect positive change. And we are confident that, in the end, the result will “be good.”

— Hickman is over communications and strategic planning for Athens City Schools. She can be reached at Ginger.Hickman@acs-k12.org.