Character Education Program Proposal

Tanisha Fanney

Key Research

Character Development & Leadership Student Athlete Program

• “This top character education program for middle/high schools is well-organized and has a consistent set of 12 lesson plans to teach each of the 18 character/leadership traits. Schools begin by purchasing the lead curriculum for the teacher and at least a classroom set of the Role Model textbooks for the students. Together, this creates a complete program that includes role models textbook readings, ethical dilemmas, lectures, basic skills, writing assignments, www assignments, quote exercises, character movies, virtual leadership principles and an updated weekly blog.”

Supporting Mission & Vision

Character Development & Leadership Student Athlete Program

• This program is a best fit for school because our students are highly motivated by sports and leadership opportunities. Our mission includes taking ownership of our strengths, and our vision includes 98% of students graduating from a four year institution within 5 years of graduation high school. The strategic focus on athleticism and leadership will support our students in achievement, and help them stand out to prospective colleges.

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Key Traits

Progressive Development

Data Based Goals

How We’ll Know We’ve Won

• 75% of high school seniors will have two or more leadership benchmarks reference on college application
• 65% of students will have at least one distinguishing athletic achievement listed on college application
• 65% of all parents attend two or more on-campus events demonstrating a benchmark

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Community Based Evaluation

How We’ll Know We’re On Track

• Students: 50% of students are on track to meet one benchmark by end of quarter 2
• Teachers: 100% of teachers are implementing curriculum according to rollout plan
• Families: 85% of families respond to quarter 1 survey
• Admin: 100% of leaders are on track with professional development scope and sequence at the end of quarter 2

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Comparison

National Character Education Center

• Pros:
1. 18 years of demonstrated success
2. Designed for all grade levels
3. Online platform
• Cons:
• Lacking diverse representation
• Use of audio/video resources vs. text based resources

Young People’s Press

• Pros:
• Focus on diversity and sensitivity
• Variety of text based resources
• Online platform
• Cons:
• Designed for grades K-6 only, requires adaptation
• No professional development map; requires in-house creation

Next Steps

How to successfully rollout

• Present to students and families at start of year
• Schedule parent check in meetings
• Execute bi-weekly professional development cycle
• Execute bi-weekly observation walkthroughs
• Ensure aligned assessments

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Potential Obstacles

Potential Obstacles to Progress:

• Gap in comprehensive professional development
• Inconsistent implementation of curriculum
• Lack of data collection
• Misaligned assessment and community development
• Lack of student buy in

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References

Ethics USA |. Ethics USA RSS2. (n.d.). https://ethicsusa.org/.

Home. Site Title - Home. (n.d.). http://www.youngpeoplespress.com/.

Sharkey, C. (n.d.). Association of American Educators. https://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/character-education-programs.

student, F., Christy, B., Bowen, K., Means, M., Allred, D. M., Miller, E., Waddell, D., Kristy, Alecia, Archibald, M., Brogan, D., Brus, A., Smith, G., Stone, G., & Downs, J. (2020, December 21). Character Education Curriculum for High School and Middle School. Character and Leadership. https://characterandleadership.com/.

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Presenter’s Notes

1. Character Development & Leadership Student Athlete Curriculum: This app-based program is designed to improve the character, leadership and sportsmanship of all athletes in a high school. Athletes receive a 2-5 minute engaging activity 7 days a week, focused on a specific character trait. Their response to the follow-up question goes directly to the coach’s app, allowing the coach to bring these lessons into practice as often as she/he sees fit. We have enough material to cover 3 athletic seasons a year for 4 years without redundancy.
2. Character First! Education was brought to life through the commitment and vision of public school and police officials to address the real issues of today's youth. The Character First! Education Series is designed specifically for elementary-age children, pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The colorful and lively curriculum helps capture children's attention with songs, stores, crafts, games, memory work, object lessons, coloring pages, collectible Character Cards, and posters.
3. Lessons in Character includes a wonderful multicultural literature collection (ten lap books) and audio cassettes, a thorough teacher's management guide, student activity books, and a poster set. Step-by-step guidelines for using the components are given for the twenty-four lessons at each grade level. Reading, reflecting, writing, and developing life skills are all prominently featured, following a thematic approach of promoting the character traits of Trustworthiness, Respect for Others, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship.
4. "Values In Action" is a national award-winning school-wide comprehensive character education program with eighteen years of research and successful implementation (K-12).