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2007-08 CHARACTER COUNTS! Schools Mini-Grants
Summary
CHARACTER COUNTS! awarded 16 mini-grants
totaling $13,770, to faculty and staff in the Martin County
School District to enhance and enrich their schools’ character
education programs.
The intent of the CHARACTER COUNTS! Schools
Mini-Grants Program was to re-energize and re-vitalize our
school-based CHARACTER COUNTS! programs.
Grants were
offered to schools and their staff to implement character-based
projects that would enhance or expand their current CHARACTER
COUNTS! program. In addition to providing measurable goals and
objectives in their application, award recipients were required
to submit a year-end evaluation. Below is a brief summary from
each of these evaluations.
Warfield
Elementary
Be Cool Conflict Management
The purpose of
this project was to teach children specific techniques to
promote self-control and interrupt the tendency to impulsively
act out. This was accomplished through the coordination of the
guidance department and related arts teachers. Working with
CHARACTER COUNTS! books, related arts teacher discussed each of
the Six Pillars of Character with their students and how the
pillars applied to their daily lives. There was a 45% decrease
in referrals from 2006-07.
Warfield
Elementary
Integration of CHARACTER COUNTS!
and Conscious Discipline
Pre/post surveys:
306 kindergarten through fourth-grade students were asked the
following eight questions. In the pre-survey, all 306 students
answered “no” to all eight questions; in the post-survey, all
306 students answered “yes” to all eight questions.
1. When you get
angry, do you use your words?
2. Does your classroom feel like a school family?
3. Do you know how to be a S.T.A.R.?
4. Do you know how to be safe on the playground?
5. Do you know how to do your classroom job?
6. Do you feel like you make a difference in your class?
7. Do you feel like your classmates care about your feelings?
8. Do you feel safe in your classroom?
Port Salerno
Elementary
Integrating Character Education
into the School Community
The goal of this
project was to help students develop their social skills through
an integrated curriculum that would teach social skills in a fun
and engaging way. This was achieved by using the “Auto B good”
video series, “The Best I can Be” book, along with the arts and
crafts ideas that went along with each.
Pre/post tests
results follow, inidating the number of “never” and
“always/sometimes” responses to the following questions:
It is okay to yell
at someone if they are not nice to you.
1. Never – increased from 60 to 87
2. Always/sometimes – decreased from 57 to 30
It’s okay to lie
or cheat if it will keep you out of trouble.
1. Never – increased from 80 to 98
2. Always/sometimes – decreased from 37 to 19
It’s okay to lie
in order to get a reward.
1. Never – increased from 58 to 69
2. Always/sometimes – decreased from 49 to 48
It is okay to
pretend to be friends with someone if they have a toy you want
to use.
1. Never – increased from 25 to 50
2. Always/sometimes decreased from 92 to 67
It is okay to copy
your friend’s paper if you don’t know the answers.
1. Never – increased from 97 to 105
2. Always/sometimes – decreased from 20 to 12
J.D. Parker
Elementary
Public Pillars (mural)
Fifth-grade
students created a mural that illustrates the Six Pillars of
Character and what dreams can be realized by following and
demonstrating the pillars in their everyday lives. Students
learned to work as a team, improved their research and artistic
skills, and created a lasting piece of art illustrating the Six
Pillars of Character upon which students, staff and visitors can
reflect.
J.D. Parker
Elementary
Bibliotherapy: Addressing Bullying
through the Use of Children’s Books
All students at JD
Parker Elementary participated in “read alouds” and follow-up
discussions on the topic of bullying
94% of students responded positively to the bullying prevention
program. Data reflects a decrease in physical aggression.
J.D. Parker
Elementary
Peacemaking Skills for Little Children
This program
provided concrete and effective ways to teach children and
teachers how to handle conflicts.
1. There was a 50%
reduction in the number of minor and major referrals between
pre- and post-program implementation.
2. Pre/post test
data assessing the understanding of peace education concepts
increased an average of 22% among the six first grade classrooms
that participated in this program.
Murray Middle
Tree of Compassion
Students received
a leaf on the “Tree of Compassion” for demonstrating good
character.
1. Students
learned compassion and good citizenship through special
activities for veterans on Veteran’s Day, for residents at the
Salerno Bay Manor, and through recognition for exhibiting good
character throughout the school year.
2. “These special
projects had a positive impact on our students and the
community.”
Jensen Beach
High/J.D. Parker Elementary
“My Life as a Furry Red Monster”
Students, staff
and families at Jensen Beach High and J.D. Parker Elementary
schools worked collaboratively to bring Kevin Clash, author of
“My Life as a Furry Red Monster,” to Martin County. Books and
activities for this project integrated character education and
mentoring into the schools’ literacy programs.
Indiantown Middle
Integrating the Six Pillars of Character into a School Wide
Bully Prevention Program
This was the first
year implementation for Indiantown Middle’s on-going bully
prevention program. All goals and objectives of the grant
application were achieved.
1. Staff
development on bully prevention was provided.
2. Base data was collected.
3. Character-based/bully prevention activities and strategies
were integrated into the curriculum.
Hobe Sound
Elementary
Reader’s Theater
This project
integrated the school’s literacy program into Character Counts!
through “reader’s Theater” and the use of character-based books,
cds and videos.
1. Circulation
records indicate that many of the materials were checked out and
used by teachers and students.
2. monthly "reader’s theater" pertained to that particular
month’s "pillar."
3. A section of the media center was designated to books and
materials for Character Counts!
Felix A Williams
Elementary
R-E-S-P-E-C-T (Bully Prevention Program)
In a 2006 – 2007
survey to 4th grade students, students were asked to respond
“agree” or “disagree” to “Students treat other with respect.”
Survey
results: Responses to the same group of students, now 5th
graders, in spring 2008 indicated a 14% increase in the
“disagree” response.
Students also
received Character Counts cards for being respectful to their
fellow classmates and teachers. For every three character cards
a student received, a leaf was painted on the “respect tree” and
earned a trip to the “character closet.”
As reported in
their mid-year report, “the respect tree is almost full … The
kids seem more aware of respectful behaviors. Some of our
teachers have tied it into their classroom behavior plans … the
aides, cafeteria workers and some related arts teachers have
adopted it and recognize respect when they see it.”
Although the
results of the pre/post survey were disappointing, the overall
project was beneficial in that it keyed in on the importance of
respect and provided staff and students with a clear definition
of what respect is and how it is recognized.
Crystal Lake
Elementary
Infusion of CHARACTER COUNTS! visuals (6 Pillars of Character)
into school environment
Naming of Six
Pillars of Character (pre/post-surveys) – Students and
parents/visitors were asked to name the Six Pillars of
Character. Results:
1. Students: 6
named – increased 25%; 5 named – increased 15%; 4 named –
increased 5%; 3 named – increased 4%; 2 named – decreased 16%; 1
named – decreased 10%; and 0 named – decreased 22%.
2. Parents: 6
named – increased 25%; 3 named – increased 4%; 0 named –
decreased 22%
Exchanging of Character Counts! bracelets among students for
displaying good character.
3. Approximately
300 were exchanged in less than 3 months.
Dr. David L
Anderson Middle
CHARACTER COUNTS! in Action
Videos on good
character were created by students and the media specialist and
then aired and discussed school-wide.
Although their goal to reduce the number of discipline referrals
was not met this current school year, materials purchased for
the project will be used to continue implementation in 2008 –
2009.
Discipline
referral data will be collected at the end of the 2008 – 2009
school year and compared to the data received in 2006 – 2007 and
2007 – 2008.
Pinewood
Elementary
Hooked on Character – Peer Factor
“Peer Factor” was
a weekly TV puppet program that presented real life getting
along situations and gave tips to students on how to get “Hooked
on Character.” Students received character cards and fish for
demonstrating good character.
1. 2,746 students
earned one or more fish – each fish represented five (good)
Character Cards.
2. Discipline
referrals at the end of the 2007–08 school year decreased by 5%
from 2006–07.
Palm City
Elementary
Reader’s Theater
Met expected goal
of improving reading fluency and comprehension of low level
students and promoting CHARACTER COUNTS! school-wide. All
students improved at least one grade level in reading
comprehension. There was a
10% decrease in discipline incidents from 2006-07.
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