EXCELLENCE & ETHICS

Updates from April, 2011

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  Integrating the Compact-4-Excellence Into My Classroom, by Maureen Norton

  RichParisi posted in Character Blog at 8:45 am on April 29, 2011 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: "safe and supporting school culture", elementary schools (4)

  Rich Parisi: I was blessed to spend 26 years of my educational career as an elementary school principal. During those years I was part of or attended well over 100 days of staff training. One of my personal goals was to be a life-long learner, so I was always looking for at least one thing I could use from a training day.  I must admit that some of the days were far better than others. I left some days overwhelmed with new ideas to use. There were some days when I really had to search for that one nugget to take away.  I was also on the planning or training side of many of those days. In that role I always tried to make sure that the staff was left with at least one practical idea (hopefully more than one) they could put to use.

  Earlier this school year Matt Davidson and I were able to spend one day training at Allen Creek Elementary School. Maureen Norton, one of the teachers in that group, recently sent me a note to highlight some of what has been going on in her classroom. I was very encouraged to see that Maureen took the Power2Achieve Portable Compact-4-Excellence and immediately put it to use in her classroom.  What follows is a brief summary of some of the highlights of Maureen’s school year that demonstrate her desire to be a life-long learner and take what she is learning to make a difference in her classroom. I was also thankful to see how one of our Power2Achieve tools was playing a key role in many of the good things that Maureen has done in her classroom this year.

   

  

   

  Maureen Norton: Integrating the Compact-4-Excellence Into My Classroom

  On the first day of First Grade we made a Class Power2Achieve Portable Compact-4-Excellence, aka our “Class Promise”.  In our Power2Achieve Compact, we listed ways to “Be Our Best Selves and Do Our Best Work,” which is our school motto.  Together we brainstormed ideas and this is the list we came up with:

  • Share
  • Listen
  • Make friends
  • Help each other
  • Be patient
  • Be nice
  • Try new things
  • Take care of our classroom
  • Understand that everyone makes mistakes and it’s ok
  • Understand “Stop!” means “Stop!”

  We recently added “Keep our volume down.”  We refer to this promise almost every day.  It helped us start our year off as a team and with a clear understanding of what is expected of us in our classroom. It has helped to create the culture of excellence that has allowed my students to continue to grow academically and as people of character.

  Another management technique I have used for two years now is an approach called the Daily Five.  This technique was created by two sisters who are teachers, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser.  This approach allows the children to make a choice of the activity they will be doing during literacy time.  The five choices are 1. Read to Self 2. Read to Someone 3. Listen to Reading 4. Word Work and 5. Work on Writing.  As I introduced these choices, we made a promise about the behavior that would go along with each choice.  Taking this time to reflect on what we would need to do for the Daily Five to work brought us right back to our Portable Compact-4-Excellence/class promise and school motto Being Our Best Selves and Doing Our Best Work. I believe connecting the Daily Five to the Compact/Class Promise helped us to maximize the power of the Daily Five.

  A strategy that is new to me this year and I am very happy with is the Literacy Café.  This also was created by the “Two Sisters.” Café is an acronym for Comprehension Accuracy Fluency Expand Vocabulary. With this approach I have taught the class reading strategies in each category.  At the beginning of each week in reading groups the children are asked to choose a goal for the week, a strategy to work on.  This has been a huge success!!  The kids have been so excited and will say, “Ms. Norton I just chunked a word and I figured it out” or “I just backed up and reread and I understood what the author was saying!”  The kids have come so far as readers, and their confidence as learners has soared. Once again the culture of excellence we created by starting the year with the Power2Achieve Portable Compact-4-Excellence helped to establish the atmosphere where the Literary Café has been able to be so successful.

  A conflict/resolution technique that we use in our classroom is The Talk It Out Corner.  When the children have a problem with another student, they must go to The Talk It Out Corner to solve their problem with words.  When they are there, one person holds a popsicle stick with a picture of an ear and the other person holds a picture of a mouth.  The person with the mouth starts with an “I” statement, such as “I didn’t like it when you pushed me.  It made me feel sad.”  They then switch pictures and the other person has an opportunity to respond, for example, “I am sorry, I didn’t mean to, it was an accident, I will be more careful.”  This technique has not only eliminated tattle telling in our classroom, it has also taught the students to solve problems using words and how to express their feelings. Once again as I look at the success of this process, I see connections to the work we did in starting the year with the Power2Achieve Portable Compact-4-Excellence. Because my students have learned to listen, help each other, understand that we all make mistakes and so on, we have been more successful in how we solve conflicts in our room.

  

   

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  What Popular School Reform Initiatives Are Missing Shouldn't Be Surprising

  Kyle Baker posted in Character Blog at 3:01 pm on April 28, 2011 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Ed Reform, education (3), School Reform, Singapore

  Post by Kyle Baker, Program Coordinator at the Institute for Excellence & Ethics

  This morning Valerie Strauss posted an article for the Washington Post’s Answer Sheet pointing out some of what she labeled as the more “surprising” elements of Singapore’s “Desired Outcomes of Education”.

  (As a little background…Singapore, along with a number of other East Asian and Scandinavian countries, consistently outperform US schools on just about every achievement-oriented assessment, and are often cited as systems that we need to “catch”.  It should also be noted that I believe Strauss was making the same argument I’m about to, which is that if we were to take a moment to think rationally, then these desired outcomes wouldn’t actually seem too surprising at all).

  You can read her article here and see the full list of desired outcomes on the Singapore Ministry of Education’s website  here, and I’d encourage you to do both, but for quick reference, check out the table they use to show desired outcomes by stage:

  

  (graphic via http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/desired-outcomes/)

  Strauss compares a recent statement from US President Barack Obama (“The goal for America’s educational system is clear: Every student should graduate from high school ready for college and a career.  Every student should have meaningful opportunities to choose from upon graduating from high school.”) and the outcomes identified by the Singapore Ministry of Education, stating that “…because the school system is so often compared favorably to ours, it is fair to look at what kind of graduates the government of Singapore says it wants the public school system to produce.”

  TRUTH.

  Particularly because according to research from virtually every field, these outcomes have a lot to do with the golden rings that have been identified: creativity, innovation…and let’s be honest…a productive, efficient, reliable labor force that can fuel the national economy and build a stronger global community.

  For a brief journey into just one of these fields, neuroscience, take a good look at some of the evidence presented in Dr. Edward M. Hallowell’s recent book,  Shine:  Using Brain Science to Get the Best from Your People.  In Shine, Hallowell cites neurological research (as well as additional research in psychology, sociology, and more) explaining what exactly is needed for a person to reach “peak performance.”  Hallowell identifies Select, Connect, Play, Grapple and Grow, and Shine as his 5-step “Cycle of Excellence.”

  Hallowell’s book, similar to the work done by Csikszmentmihalyi, Gilbert, Duckworth, Dweck, Pink, Johnson, Christakis, Fowler, (who are all cited in Shine…and the work done by IEE), points out something that by now shouldn’t be surprising:  People who are healthy, happy, connected, and motivated in healthy ways (both intrinsically and extrinsically) are BETTER.

  They’re better learners.

  They’re better teachers.

  They’re better police officers.

  They’re better accountants.

  They’re better managers.

  Should I continue?  Ok, I will…

  They’re better parents.

  They’re better community members.

  They’re better waiters and waitresses.

  They’re better pilots.

  They’re better friends.

  They’re better stock brokers.

  They’re better insurance agents.

  Picking up on the pattern here?

  Turns out that things like self-efficacy, treating others with respect, conscience, integrity, thinking critically and expressing yourself confidently, communication skills, and the ability to creatively solve complex problems….REALLY MATTER.  If you’re not sure how all of this translates into the day to day life of students and teachers in a classroom setting, check out work on emotional intelligence, resilient schools & classrooms, etc.

  These things matter in the home, the community, and the workplace, and they matter in schools too, even when objectives like “passing state tests”, “reaching curriculum standards,” and “getting better grades” are identified as priorities.  Just like the skills above lead to higher motivation, productivity, and satisfaction in the workplace, they lead to higher academic performance and safe & supportive classrooms and schools as well.

  In  her article, Strauss says:

  “The Education Ministry in Singapore talks about educating students to become confident, moral, analytical thinkers who are responsible and involved adult citizens of their country. And it wants kids to grow up with a “zest for life.”

  Maybe I missed it, but I haven’t heard any school reformers here talk about that.”

  With all due respect, I have to point out that yes, Ms. Strauss is actually missing the fact that some school reformers are not only talking about this, but doing real work in schools on these issues right now (and demonstrating significant positive impact as well).

  But I can totally understand the reasons why this fact might be missed.

  Right now the push in the education field, particularly what’s playing out on TV and in newspaper headlines, seems to be  on test scores, teacher performance, workforce preparation, and career readiness.

  However both in and out of schools, many people are starting to recognize that while these elements are definitely important, there is something missing…

  As Strauss point out, it would be wise for school-reformers to take a good look at the objectives that the school systems they admire have set for themselves, because their priorities are fairly clearly stated…and seem to be fairly different from the priorities being focused on here.

  While in far too many cases US school reform priorities may seem misguided, and perhaps some of them are at times, but maybe in other cases it’s just a case of parallels in terminology going unrecognized.  You see, it’s true that we’re not directly working on improving “zest,”  but we are helping thousands of students, teachers, and others work on “living a balanced, purposeful, & healthy life.”  We also help them work on developing positive and productive relationships, communicating & collaborating with efficiency & effectiveness, managing priorities & reducing stress, committing to high standards & continuous improvement, demonstrating emotional intelligence, integrity & responsibility, exhibiting creativity & innovation; critical thinking and problem solving, and leading & serving others.

   

  That sounds pretty zestful to me, even though rather than calling it “Key Stage Outcomes of Education”, we call this “building the culture of excellence & ethics for success in school, work, and beyond.”

  While school reform can often be a polarizing topic, it really isn’t for us, because instead of  just focusing on developing people who are smart or developing people who are good, we focus on both in a highly integrated way…because that’s what research, or as school-reformers like to say, “the data”, tells us to do.

  Sometimes even though people are using different terminology they may still have the same goal in mind, which must be the case here…because in November educators in Singapore are bringing in IEE to train teachers on how to use the Power2Achieve curriculum and the Culture of Excellence & Ethics Assessment in their schools and classrooms.

  Select schools in Kansas, Iowa, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Colorado, California, Texas, and other places around the country have already been blazing this trail across the US in partnership with IEE.  Hopefully the educational community as a whole won’t be too far behind.

   

  

   
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  Public Display of Good Work

  Mark Schumacker posted in Character Blog, Power2Achieve Community at 10:00 pm on April 27, 2011 | 1 Permalink | Reply
  

  I have always been in search of ways to motivate the kids to do good work in my classroom.  Over the years I have found that the kids really enjoy being recognized for their hard work, even though some might resist admitting to it.  Like most things in life, having a good variety lowers boredom and increases curiosity.  I like to find at least one new way to show off my kids’ efforts each year.

  One way I can brag about my students is through letters home.  It may seem old fashion, but writing a letter to “The Parents of Suzy Smilealot” is a very big deal to the kids…when done well.  I like to think of the most amazing compliment I can give to the kids.  I usually try to pick out 2 to 3 great qualities and the go over the top gushing about their qualities.  I want to make the student feel as if he or she is the most special and important person in my class.  I want them to know I think so highly of them that I am willing to take the time to hand write a personal letter to their parents about their hard work.  The old adage then comes into effect – the child will do everything to live up to your compliments.

  At the start of the year I ask each student to fill out a form, with their picture included, stating their academic goal for the year.  Beneath their goal is the plan they intend to follow to reach their goal.  I believe that displaying this information creates positive peer pressure that can’t be touched.  Every student will see what you believe is a goal worth shooting for and they will witness your efforts throughout the year.  This year I had several students aim VERY high – their goals fell between 97% – 99%.  While I am impressed the kids are willing to aim high, I have decided to place some limits in the future.  I think I will cap the goals at 95%.  It isn’t that I don’t want the kids to aim high; rather I had several kids that finished the quarter with a 98% and by their measure, the goal was not met.

  One might ask what the problem with a goal not being reached is.  Normally I would completely agree, though I offer a HUGE display of good work that reflects their academic goals.  At the end of each quarter, I look to see what students reached their academic goal for the year (that quarter).  If a student reaches her yearend goal for the quarter, she has the choice to receive one of my amazing baked goods or she can earn 5 extra credit points on a quiz.  I then place her picture on the letter (G-O-A-L-S), representing the current quarter, which is placed in the front of my classroom.  The letters stand for each of the quarters of the year, while the letter “S” represents reaching their goal for their end of the year average.

  At the start of the year, the kids choose one person from their math class, to become their goal partner.  They meet with this person every two weeks to discuss their academic progress and to give each other honest feedback regarding their efforts.  The idea behind this is to have at least one additional person monitoring each student’s work.  At the end of each quarter, I offer an additional 3 points extra credit on a quiz for partners that BOTH reach their goal.  The idea behind this is to provide just a little more positive peer pressure to succeed.  I have found that the little bonus has made quite a difference when it comes to the goal partners’ efforts when they meet.

  I am always looking for new ways to recognize the efforts of my kids.  Sometimes I will even go to them for suggestions.  We do a few online surveys, through Survey Monkey, and I can receive a lot of insight by asking key questions.  My career goal is to figure out a way to help all of my kids reach their goals, at least once, before the year ends.  I have confidence that together, we can figure out a path to this success!  Once we do reach this summit, you can certainly bet we will display it to the world!

  

   
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  Connecting Excellence and Ethics to College Athletics

  Eric Martin posted in Character Blog at 5:47 pm on April 25, 2011 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  The following guest blog entry is written by Mr. Andy Winkelmann who serves as the Athletic Academic Coordinator/Assistant Director of Educational Programs and Service at the University of Iowa – Athletics Student Services. Andy recently attended an Excellence and Ethics Academy that was hosted in Iowa. He left the workshop charged with many new ideas and strategies that connected to his work at the collegiate level.  I’ve asked Andy to capture some of his thoughts to share with others in the following entry.

  Several things impressed me while attending the workshop.  Listed below are some of my observations on how I intend to utilize the Institute for Excellence and Ethics (Power2Achieve) tools in my role with student athletes at The University of Iowa.
  

  • Leadership=Performance and Moral Character

  In The University of Iowa athletic department, we have a motto “Today’s Hawkeyes are Tomorrow’s Leaders”.

  To me, leadership means character.  Our coaches and athletes strive to pursue championships (performance character) while be a good teammate and supporting each other on a team (moral character).  During the presentation Matt Davidson talked about defining performance character (doing your best/pursuing excellence) and moral character (being you the person you can be/developing relationships).  This definition of character fits nicely into our athletic department philosophy.  I plan to teach this character definition to student athletes in our athletic transition seminar class.

  • “We shape the culture-the culture shapes the character.”

  For our entire incoming freshman class, we teach and 8-week (16 session) to transition them into the athletic department and the campus community.  One of your goals is to get students connected to each other and learn how to support each other like a team.

  Matt’s presentation in March was focused on bullying, but I thought a salient point was the importance of creating a safe environment where learning can take place.  I think the tools and the lessons that were provided on how to use experiential (5-senses) activities to enhance learning were excellent and on-point.  Matt’s emphasis on the process and facilitator reflection (i.e., what, so what, now what) was another critical point.  I will use the Social Network Profile worksheet and the Compact 4 Excellence with my class to help students develop courage to communicate and connect identifying shared values and goals.  Simply, if we work to create a culture (i.e., classroom) of respect and communication, then bullying (disrespect) will be reduced/eliminated!

  • No big changes needed

  Within our education support programs and services and in response to gender violence and other negative behaviors and acts, we teach active bystander interventions through Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) and STEP-UP/Be a Leader-Make a Difference presentations and activities. We think we are developing a solid leadership framework for our student athletes and coaches.

  To supplement our initiatives, the Institute for Excellence and Ethics tools which are researched based and tested, seems easily implemented to enhance existing programs.  The activities and lessons can help cement our work to teach students to develop team core values based on individual responsibility and shared responsibility (i.e., brother’s and sister’s keeper).  I can’t wait to start planning for this fall’s transition seminar class!

  Andy Winkelmann
  University of Iowa Athletics Student Services
  Athletic Academic Coordinator/Assistant Director of Educational Programs and Service

   

  

   
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  A Historical Perspective of 21st Century Skills

  Eric Martin posted in Character Blog, Power2Achieve Community at 4:01 pm on April 18, 2011 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  The following blog entry is written by Dr. Brian Coppess, Associate Princpal of Urbandale High School, Urbandale, Iowa.  Serving as one of the Power2Achieve field research schools across the country, Dr. Coppess has provided leadership, insights and support to the evolution of the P2A programming. This entry focuses on the connection of 21st Century Skills and the impact of Power2Achieve.

   

  In 1918 the Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education (Cardinal Principles) declared that, “…education in a democracy, both within and without the school, should develop in each individual the knowledge, interests, ideals, habits, and powers whereby he will find his place and use that place to shape both himself and society toward ever nobler ends” (p. 3).  Our nation’s eminent educators of the time debated how to best achieve this ideal; eventually The Cardinal Principles decided the issue.  The solution the authors came upon was the Comprehensive High School; American students would have the opportunity to enroll in vocational and academic opportunities within the same building.  This model has remained the standard of secondary education in the United States since the publishing of the Cardinal Principles.

  Since the publication of the Cardinal Principles in 1918, the Comprehensive High School, and American education in general, has withstood regular scrutiny, criticism and reform efforts.  Sputnik created awareness of the importance of Math and Science instruction and led to improvements in resources for teaching Math and Science.  Why Johnny Can’t Read brought attention to strategies for teaching children to read, and A Nation at Risk rekindled the country’s interest in education and led to needed reforms in facilities, curriculum and teaching strategies.

  Notably, these previous efforts at improving American secondary education were usually concerned with the core instructional areas.  Consider, then, the seven original main objectives of education according to the Cardinal Principles: health, command of fundamental processes, worthy home membership, vocation, citizenship, worthy use of leisure time and ethical character.  Iowa’s recent Core Curriculum includes standards and benchmarks for the core areas.  However, the ingenuity of the Iowa Core that has been hailed by educator’s across the nation has been the emphasis on Twenty-First Century Skills:  Health Literacy, Civic Literacy, Technology Literacy, Financial Literacy, and Employability Skills.

  One might recognize Civic Literacy as an obvious link to the Cardinal Principles’ original main objectives.  In addition, though they were composed nearly one hundred years later, a scan of the Essential Concepts of the Employability Skills reveals remarkable similarities to the main objectives of education from the Cardinal Principles.  Though the vocabulary is not exactly the same, the parallels are astonishing:  communicate and work productively with others to increase innovation and quality of work; adapt to various roles and responsibilities and work flexibly with others; demonstrate leadership, integrity, ethical behavior, and social responsibility; demonstrate initiative and self-direction; demonstrate productivity and accountability.

  Like themes in great literature, the objectives of the Cardinal Principles have withstood the test of time and proven to be a bit epic.  In the mean time, however, government regulation and legislation has equated success in education with scores on standardized tests.  This emphasis on quantifiable results has diminished the focus on the original main objectives and has been a tendency for some in education to overlook them completely in favor of focusing on improving standardized test scores.

  The Employability Skills of the Iowa Core are an attempt to restore what were once viewed as the most important outcomes for American high school students, and this isn’t the first attempt.  Exit outcomes in the eighties and the nineties reveal incredible similarities to the original main objectives.  Despite continued attempts to refocus education on the basic set of beliefs laid out in the Cardinal Principles, politicians, and the America public to some extent, hold out that grades and an academic education in the core areas are the most significant benefits of education.  It will require a paradigm change on the part of our country’s most valuable educators, the classroom teachers, if the significance of the Employability Skills is to be realized.  Teachers will need to come to the understanding that the Employability Skills need to be a function of their regular every day routines in order for the Skills to become embedded in the culture of their school and the regular day to day practice of their students.  This is far more easily said than done.  Thank goodness for Power2Achieve (P2A).

  Urbandale High School has been proud to participate as a pilot school through the evolution of the Power2Achieve programs.  Our students have had the opportunity to consider and practice life long skills like communication, collaboration, time management, and ethical behavior through the Power2 activities.  The Other Studies in Power2 have enriched our students’ experiences by providing them with real life examples of people who knew when to turn it around and others who overcame incredible odds.  Students have learned the importance of being an interdependent part of a team and they have been taught to use all available resources like the astronauts on Apollo 13 and Tom Hanks in the movie Castaway.

  This year P2A activities have provided direct connections to the 21^st Century Employability Skills of the Iowa Core.  Through P2A our staff has access to strategies for embedding these skills and making them a part of our daily routine.  Recently Unit Five of P2A Foundations demonstrated to our students and staff how to enable the bystander and the importance of being an active bystander; the video and subsequent discussions and activities had an immediate impact on the culture of our building and the way our students viewed hazing and bullying.  Prior to Unit Five, P2A provided us with resources to develop positive and productive relationships and methods to help students understand the importance of committing to high standards and continuous improvement, components of the Quality Initiative we are beginning school district wide.

  The Cardinal Principles spoke of the Importance of Applying Knowledge:  “Subject values and teaching methods must be tested in terms of the laws of learning and the application of knowledge to the activities of life, rather than primarily in terms of the demands of any subject as a logically organized science” (pp. 2,3).  Isn’t it amazing how Twentieth Century wisdom anticipated the skills people would need to succeed in the Twenty-First Century.  The creators of P2A have been wise to listen and have provided us with some very valuable tools to prepare our students for life beyond high school in the Twenty-First Century.

  Dr. Brian Coppess, Ed.D.
  Associate Principal, Urbandale High School
  Urbandale, Iowa

  Resources

  Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education. (1918). A report of the commission on the reorganization of secondary education. United States Government Printing Offices, Washington D.C. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from http://tmh.floonet.net/articles/cardprin.html

   

  

   
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  Instead of asking for/giving feedback, ask for/give feedforward.

  Kyle Baker posted in Character Blog at 8:05 am on April 6, 2011 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: books (2), email, leadership (2)

  Post by Kyle Baker, IEE Program Coordinator

  
  

  You can sign up for once-a-day emails on virtually any topic these days.  While there is a huge spectrum to choose from, the only one I currently subscribe to is The Startup Daily.  Run by Karl Krantz, these emails arrive each morning Monday-Friday with a dose of goodness from leading organizational leadership and entrepreneurship authors.

  Here’s what’s in today’s edition:

  Instead of Asking for Feedback, Ask for Feedforward

  Feedback is typically focused on the past, and on what someone did wrong. The problem is that most people don’t like to give negative feedback, and even fewer people like to hear negative feedback. Uncomfortable topics—the ones that need the most attention—are either avoided, or the feedback is not heard.

  Ask “What Can I Do Better in the Future?” Not “What Did I Do Wrong in the Past?”

  With “feedforward” people can focus on hearing the suggestions without becoming defensive or worrying about their reply. People respond better to ideas they can still act on, and we are all free to change the future.

  -via What Got You Here Won’t Get You There:  How Successful People Become Even More Successful by Marshall Goldsmith

   

  Like many books you might find in the “Business” section at your local bookstore, these quips and many of the books they are pulled from offer wonderful education-crossover appeal.  The concept of feedforward would be an awesome strategy to incorporate into educational environments (while many educators may already use the strategy itself, the term itself is definitely a “sticky” one).

  When I read these emails each morning, I spend a few moments thinking about them, then try to observe ways that they apply (or don’t) throughout the course of the day. Every single day I find myself reflecting, thinking critically, learning, and growing through doing so.

   

  You can subscribe yourself on The Startup Daily website, and if you’re a Tweeter and/or a Facebooker, you can find The Startup Daily there as well.

   

  (and while we’re on the topic of Twitter and Facebook, don’t forget to follow myself and Matt Davidson on Twitter, and check out the IEE Facebook page too!)

   

   

   

  

   
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  Creating a bully-free, safe and supportive learning environment in Iowa schools

  Eric Martin posted in Character Blog at 4:12 pm on April 4, 2011 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  

  Recently, our organization hosted a statewide Excellence and Ethics Academy for educators and administrators in Iowa.  The professional development opportunity focused on creating a bully-free, safe and supportive learning environment.  Dr. Davidson facilitated a full day of experiential learning that included numerous strategies, concepts and practical tools to help create a positive teaching and learning environment.

  Creating a culture of excellence and ethics at any grade level is critical for student achievement both socially and academically. The participants left at the end of the day with several new research-based tools to use at their school or agency.  Many of the educators quickly identified how these tools could enhance and strengthen the implementation of other targeted initiatives in their schools such as Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Olweus Bully Prevention Programs.  While others connected the tools with their school-wide character education efforts.  No matter the linkages, we must focus on the intentionality of creating a safe and supportive learning environment for our students.

  One of the participants, an education consultant and former elementary school administrator commented, “In the age of texting, blogging and tweeting, I found the section on teaching students to find connections with others very helpful and an important piece in creating safe and positive learning environments.  Social networking is a necessary skill for the 21st century. The tool and strategies presented by Dr. Davidson for building a culture of excellence and ethics, confirmed by beliefs that classroom teachers CAN shape the behaviors of students in a positive way.”

  Another Principal from a rural middle school noted “As all educators know far too well, bullying is a growing concern in our schools and remains  the #1 concern of teachers and school staff members. With the advancement of technology, sadly, bullying has taken on many new forms, such as Indirect Bullying and Cyber-Bullying. Dr. Davidson’s research-based work concludes that schools must embrace a multi-faceted, system wide approach to character education; one that is proactive rather than reactive. I found Dr. Davidson’s presentation to be motivating, inspirational and it left me with a sense of  – yes, our school can do this to make a difference for all students!”

  We look forward to hosting another Excellence and Ethics Academy in the fall focused on – Developing 21^st Century Skills for Learning and Life.

  

   
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  A Week of P2A Tool Use in Allen Creek, by Judy Jameson-Kellogg

  RichParisi posted in Character Blog, Power2Achieve Community at 3:34 pm on April 4, 2011 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Power2Achieve Tools

  Blog posting by Rich Parisi- I recently wrote a blog about a professional development day I did at Allen Creek School in the Pittsford School District. I commented that I really enjoyed the day and was encouraged by their positive feedback about the day but the real test would be to see what steps teachers took to implement the tools in their classroom since in our materials we promise “knowledge and tools you can use”!

  I was very encouraged to receive the update below which is from Judy Jameson-Kellogg, a fifth grade teacher. There are many exciting things about what Judy shares but one that jumps out at me is that she immediately took what she learned and put our Power2Acheive Tools to work with her students the first day after the workshop. I have been involved in schools over the last 37 years as a teacher, principal and now as a consultant and all I can say is that does not usually happen. I give Judy a great deal of credit for being an example of a life-long learner who is always looking to improve as a teacher.  I also am pleased to see that what we call “practical tools” that teachers can integrate into what they are doing really are indeed practical tools that can make a difference for students, families, and staff members.

  What follows is Judy’s narrative of what happened in her classroom starting on the Monday morning after the training that took place at Allen Creek the previous Friday.

  Reaction to Power2Achieve Toolkit Professional Development Workshop: Allen Creek School (March 18, 2011)

  

  Fifth Grade Teacher- Judy Jameson-Kellogg

  Monday: Class Meeting (Power2 Achieve Attitude & Effort Rubric Tool)

  Kids just received report card previous Thursday so Monday morning was perfect time to talk about effort. Each child received copy of revised Effort and Attitude rubric. They folded it in half and we turned attention to the effort side. Read and discussed the characteristics of a 3, 2, 1 from the rubric. Shared “have you evers”, turned in work that was good enough, but not your best, etc. We shared experiences of when effort had a direct impact on the quality of the outcome.

  We then reviewed attitude side. What does a student with a good attitude look like? Do? How does the right attitude affect outcomes?  This was so great because with the Effort & Attitude Rubric we now have specific language and suggestions on how to improve effort. Not just try harder, or put out more effort. The tool is concrete and a fantastic guide to move my students forward!

  Each student glued the effort –attitude rubric inside their planner opposite the Power2Achieve Compact-4-Excellence.

  Tuesday: Class Meeting (Goal Setting Power2 Achieve Tool and P2A AEI Tool)

  Students brought planner with new rubric to class meeting. We discussed previous goal setting.  I asked them what contributed to success or not. What is helpful?

  I gave each student the new goal setting form. We talked about the importance of specific steps toward that goal. We shared some examples. Then we all worked on a classroom goal: Keeping our classroom clean and organized.

  We broke it down in steps per our form.

  We used effort/attitude rubric to guide us.

  We wrote down our goal and the steps to take on chart paper for reference.

  We then began to set some individual goals. Students started rough drafts.

  Wednesday: Class Meeting/Writing Workshop

  Students brought individual rubric to our meeting. We reviewed our new class goal about keeping our classroom neat. According to the rubric kids self assessed with a show of one, two, or three fingers for each. Discussion followed about our successes and areas that needed improvement.

  Students wrote their final Draft for their personal goal.  Students then had conferences with teacher to review their plan.

  Introduction of Letter home to Parents

  • Each student wrote a handwritten letter to parents about our effort, attitude, and goal setting work of the past few days. The letter stated the goal that the student set along with some of the means by which he or she will achieve that goal. Many used some of the language from the effort/attitude rubric to underscore their determination.
  • What a perfect real world writing experience! Of course, it notifies parents and brings them into to the loop also! Some of the letters specifically asked for parental support!

  Copies made for school and home.

  Thursday: Homeroom

  Students tape own goal form to inside cover of planner.

  Students take smaller goal reminder to tape outside one’s locker.

  Everyone takes home letter and goal form to discuss with parents.

  Friday: Class Meeting

  Students share parent/family feedback.

  Show and explain Classroom Size Graph. (Power 2Acheive Attitude & Effort Rubric)

  Rank progress on our classroom goal.

  Distribute individual graphs planner. Kids self assess for own goal.