How Storytelling Helps Change Take Root

by Laura Tavares

Think of a moment when you’ve told your own story, such as writing a college essay, preparing for an interview, or reflecting on a project you cared about. In the act of putting experience into words, something shifts: you start to see patterns, name values, and recognize changes.

That same shift shows up in schools. When students and teachers pause to talk about what’s new, what they’re learning about one another or themselves, they’re doing more than reflecting. They’re shaping the change as it happens. In our work at WPS, we’ve seen how storytelling can deepen engagement and strengthen a sense of belonging for both students and educators.

Our work at WPS is focused on making school a place where students feel connected and purposeful, and where teachers feel supported in creating learning that truly matters. Storytelling plays a simple but powerful role in that effort. It helps make change visible and turns everyday experience into shared understanding: we’re doing something different together.

In this guide, we describe storytelling not as marketing or public communication, but as an internal practice—one that supports learning, reflection, and growth as change is unfolding. We explore why this approach works and offer practical ways schools can make storytelling a living part of everyday learning and teaching.

A Higgins Middle School 6th grader shares his handmade model fishing rod with classmates and Principal Bucey during a passion project presentation in Peabody.

Why Storytelling Works

Research from across psychology and education helps explain why storytelling is so powerful in schools, but each lens highlights a different dimension of its impact, from individual meaning-making, to collective identity, to lasting shifts in belief and behavior.

• At the individual level, Jerome Bruner described how we make meaning and identity through narrative. He observed, “A life is not how it was but how it is interpreted and reinterpreted, told and retold.” (Making Stories, 2002) In schools, this means that when students and teachers are invited to reflect on and retell their learning experiences, they begin to see themselves not just as people who complete tasks, but as learners who are growing, capable, and changing. 

• At the community level, Etienne Wenger explored how identity develops through shared storytelling in communities of practice — the stories we tell about our collective work become the glue that binds us together. He wrote, “Stories of the community’s practice are a rich medium for communicating the identity of the community.” (Communities of Practice, 1998) In a school setting, this suggests that when students and educators share stories about their work, challenges, and progress, they are actively shaping a sense of “who we are” and “what matters here.”

• At the level of belief and behavior, David Yeager described the “Saying Is Believing” effect, demonstrating that when people actively articulate a message, it strengthens their belief in it — especially when they feel they’re helping others (10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People, 2024). In one study, students who wrote letters to future students about growth mindset developed stronger learning orientations than those who simply read about the topic.This helps explain why storytelling doesn’t just reflect change in schools, but helps reinforce it. When students and teachers articulate what they are learning and why it matters, they are more likely to internalize those beliefs and act on them.

  
  

Together, these insights point to the same truth: reflection and articulation help change take root. When teachers and students narrate their experiences, they not only notice what’s different — they begin to become the people who are making it different.

Teachers, students, and school leaders reflect on the change they’ve experienced over two years of partnership, using storytelling to surface what’s different and what matters now.

What Storytelling Looks Like in Practice

In our work at WPS, storytelling is not an add-on or a reflection that happens after the work is done. It is part of how programs take shape in real time. Students, educators, and partners use storytelling to notice patterns, surface insights, and make decisions about what to try next.

Storytelling doesn’t have to be elaborate or time-consuming. It can be woven into the everyday life of a school. Below are several approaches that emerged from our field practice at WPS: 

Schoolwide Rituals

• Regular Assemblies: Dedicate part of each assembly to sharing stories and photos of learning — a “story of the week,” student reflections, or a short video from a classroom. Over time, this builds a sense of shared purpose and a living record of growth.

• Community Learning Events: Involve students in presenting at faculty meetings, school committee sessions, or partner site visits. Sharing their experiences with an authentic audience reinforces belonging and agency - and can make important contributions to these adult-led spaces!

Over time, these shared stories help the community notice what’s working, what’s shifting, and where new questions are emerging.

Student-Led Displays and Media

• Student-Curated Hallway Displays: Advisory groups or clubs take turns designing monthly displays that showcase recent projects, Learning Immersions, or schoolwide themes. Include short captions or headlines written by students.

• Vlogs, Peer Interviews, and Audio Postcards: After a major project or event, pair students to interview one another — what they learned, what surprised them, what advice they’d offer next year’s students. This process is valuable in itself, and the material can also be used to inform teacher practice or excerpted in family communication.

These artifacts often feed directly into future design conversations, helping students and educators refine programs together.

Students at Collins Middle School talk with Senator Ed Markey about their learning immersions. Behind them, a mapped record of the places they visited in Salem and beyond captures reflections that help make their learning visible as it unfolds.

Embedding Storytelling in Professional Culture

• Reflection as Routine: Integrate simple reflection prompts into weekly planning or PD sessions (“One moment this week when I saw a student get really engaged…”). Over time, this becomes an embedded rhythm, not an “extra.”

• Prompt Bank: Create a shared bank of short prompts for teachers to use during meetings, advisories, or in student reflections — for instance:

  • “A moment that surprised me this week was…

  • One way I saw our school vision coming to life this week was… 

  • “I used to think… Now I think…”

These reflections are not just personal; they help teams adjust instruction, redesign experiences, and respond to student insight in real time.

Short Feedback Loops and Shared Data

• Quick Pulse Checks: Use short surveys, exit tickets, or check-ins to gather timely feedback from students and educators about what’s working, what’s challenging, and what’s emerging. Keep questions few and focused so feedback feels manageable and relevant.

• Reflection + Response Cycles: Pair these data points with brief opportunities to reflect and share back what is being noticed. Naming patterns, asking follow-up questions, and communicating how insights will inform next steps helps reinforce that feedback leads to action.

• Over time, these short feedback loops help schools adjust in real time, strengthening trust and reinforcing a culture where reflection and data work together to guide improvement.

Capturing and Sharing Growth

Even though our focus is on storytelling within school communities, there are times when making learning visible to others reinforces what’s happening internally. Sharing learning publicly can acknowledge effort, build community momentum, and affirm that change is unfolding. These practices can also inspire work in new communities. Consider: 

• Micro-Stories: Capture short written or recorded moments that highlight classroom experiments, insights, or turning points, and then share them through existing channels. Schools can partner with district communications or family engagement teams to feature a weekly “micro-story” on social media, family newsletters, or school Instagram accounts. These small windows into learning help families and the wider community witness the growth students and teachers are making together.

• Collaborative Blogs or Newsletters: Feature rotating voices — teachers, students, and partners — reflecting on shared learning moments.

• Participatory Showcases: Include storytelling components in exhibitions, site visits, or end-of-year showcases where both students and teachers articulate how their understanding has evolved.

  
  

When shared beyond the classroom, these stories invite families and partners into the learning and help sustain a sense of shared progress.

At the close of the 2025 Summer Leadership Institute with the Boys and Girls Clubs, counselors who were participants in their first year now lead a presentation for caregivers, sharing the why behind the work and reflecting on how it has shaped them.

Why Storytelling Can’t Wait 

You don’t have to wait until change feels finished to start telling its story. In fact, the act of storytelling moves change along.

By making space for reflection and voice through small rituals, creative formats, and authentic audiences, schools can help students and teachers develop a stronger sense of agency, belonging, and purpose. In this way, storytelling acts as both a mirror and a catalyst. It helps people notice what’s changing and strengthens their commitment to keep going. When students and teachers hear their own stories reflected back to them, change no longer feels abstract. It feels real, shared, and worth sustaining.