Collegiate Cornerstones: Building a Culture of Character

Collegiate Cornerstones:
Building a Culture of Character
ISACS 2012 Annual Conference
Louisville, Kentucky
November 8, 2012
Carey Goldstein, Assistant Head of Middle School
carey_goldstein@loucol.com
Marybelle Estman, Upper School Counselor
mbestman@loucol.com
Cornerstones
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Why now?
The big picture…
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BULLYCIDE: Every 30 minutes a teenager attempts suicide due to bullying.
Amanda Todd, Age
15
Desiree Dryer, Age 16
Daniel Scruggs, Age 12
Kristina Arielle
Calco,
Age
16
Tyler
Clementi,
Age 18
Jamey Rodemeyer,
Age 14
Chris Howell, Age 17
Carl Joseph, Age 11
Phoebe Prince,
Age 15
Ashlyn Connor,Age 10
Jamarcus Bell,
Age 14
Kameron Jacobsen,
Age 14
Jared High,
Age 13
Ty Smalley, Age
Corinne Wilson, 11
Age 13
Kristina
Arielle Calco,
Age 16
Joel Morales,
Age 12 4
Schools as Countercultural?
From Pat Bassett, President NAIS, 2004
Values of the Popular Culture
vs. Independent School Values:
• Winning at all costs
Fair Play
(cheating for advantage)
(sportsmanship, no cut policies)
• Conspicuous Consumption
Environmental Stewardship
(clothes & cars)
(modeling good citizenship)
• Cultural Tribalism(Uniqueness)
School as Community
(asserting one’s differences)
(finding what is common to many)
• Parental Definitions of Success
School Definitions of Success
(getting ahead)
(contributing to the common good)
Why now?
The small picture…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyBTap2wudo&feature=youtu.be&t=2
3s
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What are we more likely to see in our schools?
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Our kids usually know the right thing to do if asked.
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How do we support students doing the right thing and the wrong?
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Internal Process
- We often wondered, are we doing enough?
- Administration asked, can we do more?
- NAIS, Character Education: Good to Great
-Opened our eyes to what we could be doing better
- Created cornerstones
- Created a comprehensive JK-12 scope and sequence
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How did we start?
- We had to ask, what does our mission say?
- Louisville Collegiate School prepares diverse students in a
challenging and supportive environment to demonstrate
outstanding academic preparation, extraordinary character,
and confident leadership for a lifetime of global engagement and
local responsiveness.
- How do we share the mission with our students…
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Core Principles:
Louisville Collegiate School’s core principles guide our community and its programs,
initiatives, and distinctive culture:
• Commitment to achieve academic and personal excellence
• Determination to fulfill individual potential
• Creativity and independent thought
• Adaptability to change
• Balance in development of mind, body and spirit
• Respect for each individual
• Support for each member of the school family
• Celebration of differences
• Self-discipline in all actions
• Understanding of our global community
• Courage in the responsible exercise of freedoms
• Participation in civic life and community leadership
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Honor Code
Collegiate students will not lie.
Lying is the conscious creation of a false impression, the willful denial of
facts, or the breaking of a pledge.
Collegiate students will not cheat.
Cheating is giving, receiving, or attempting to give unauthorized help
that could result in an unfair advantage in completing school work. It
is also the representation of another’s work as one’s own (plagiarism).
Collegiate students will not steal.
Stealing is the taking of anything without the consent of the owner.
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So how did we get to four words?
- Mission
- Core principles
- Honor Code
- On campus constituency groups
- Parents, teachers and students
- Administrative team
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Whose values?
The five most commonly cited in research and across all religions
and cultures are…
1.Compassion
 (empathy)
2.Honesty
 (integrity)
3.Fairness
 (equity and justice)
4.Responsibility
 (self discipline and reliability)
5.Respect
 (civility and deference)
From Pat Basset, President NAIS
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Cornerstones
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How do we define these words?
Upper School Senate declares “The Year of Respect”
Middle School students create Respect video. http://youtu.be/UnQM38XbMM8
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With some help from Webster's…
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Short and sweet
Restorative Discipline
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Restorative Discipline
Teaches students not so much WHAT the rules are but WHY the
rules are.
Focuses on relationships not rules.
Emphasizes the importance of providing choices.
Fosters understanding about the people who have been harmed.
Never becomes a judgment on the student’s personhood.
Focuses on the behavior.
Asks what needs to happen to make it right.
They need to be quick and easy definitions.
Upper School Honor Board created a video, “ What Honor means at
Collegiate…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJWvf7FBY0c&feature=emshare_video_user#
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How did we get community buy in?
Slowly!
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We had a “soft” opening
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We spread the word
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The board, the PA, the faculty, the alumni, the strategic planning committee, dad’s club
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Student leaders
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We created opportunities to bring them up with students
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Teachable moments, town hall meetings, character assemblies
We focused most of the overt lessons in the lower school and more subtle
ones in the middle and upper
- We created visual reminders of the four words and our mission statement.
In all three divisions.
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How do we plan on assessing? Is this working?
We created a student culture survey
• The Survey was administered to students in October 2011
• They were asked to put their answers on a scantron sheet.
• It was anonymous
• We surveyed kids in grades 7-12
• The response choices were:
•Disagree/no
•Agree somewhat
•Agree/Yes
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Sample survey items
1. I look forward to arriving at Collegiate every day.
2. I feel very much a part of the Collegiate community.
3. Most students seem to want other students to do well.
4. I believe that Collegiate students are kind to one another.
5. I have at least one adult on campus that I trust and can talk to when I
am worried about something.
6. I am certain that my teachers want me to do well (i.e., to succeed).
7. I feel that when teachers must discipline me (i.e., correct me in front
of others), they do so without embarrassing, belittling or demeaning
me.
8. I am proud to be a Collegiate student.
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Changes we made since the cornerstones…
- The upper school student leadership is highlighting one
cornerstone this year, Respect.
- SLP- Student Leadership Program
- Pins and magnets
- Character enrichment
- Created student leadership in the middle school- MSAMiddle School Ambassadors
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More changes…
- Student made videos
-Honor and Respect
- “Guidance guidelines” in lower school
- Cornerstone chipmunk for primary grades
- Anecdotal
-Apple, gloves
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Room for improvement
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Assessment
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Community Contract
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Include the cornerstones in course descriptions
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Include the cornerstones in goals
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Continue to weave the cornerstones into the fabric of
our school
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Your program…
Work intentionally to create a culture of character.
Suggested strategies for building a GREAT
character education program
• Form a “Task Force” with a group of individuals in your
school community that are committed to making
character education a top priority.
• Research current trends and successful programs
• Hold “Think Tank” type meetings with each sector of
your school community to get input and feedback.
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Strategies (continued…)
• Self Study – Assess strengths and areas for
improvement.
• Get administrative support early.
• Create a “Scope and Sequence” to intentionally
weave the core values into your curriculum.
JK-12 Scope and Sequence
Grade
Level
Respect
Honor
9th
Self &
Society
*Who am I?
*Myers-Briggs
Type
Indicator
*Seek First to
Understand
*Harassment
Policy
*The Nature of
Addictions
*Digital
Citizenship
*Personal
Mission
*Living with
Intent
10th
Respect &
Relationshi
ps
*Relationship
*Media
Basics
Literacy
*Emotional
*Treatment
Bank
Resources
Accounts
*Respecting
Differences
*Gender
Stereotypes
*Sex vs
Intimacy
*Sex
Responsibilities
* STI’s and
other
Risks
Confident
Responsibility Compassion Leadership
Academic
Excellence
*Be Proactive
*Time Management
*Sleep Cycles
*Communicating
with Parents
*Think Win-Win
*Cliques,
Competition, &
Rumors
*True “Happiness”
*Public Speaking
101
*Begin with the End
in Mind
*Leadership Basics
*Mentoring
*Getting Involved
*Smooth Transitions
*Mindsets
*Goal setting
*How Your Brain Learns
*Test Taking Without
Fear
*Meet the College
Counselor
*Sharpening the Saw
*Dealing with Stress
*Types of Addictions
*Depression and
Loss
*Signs of Suicide
*Driving
Responsibilities
*Blood Alcohol
Levels
*How to help a
Friend
*Helping Vs.
Rescuing
*Privilege in
America
*Social and
Emotional
Boundaries
*Synergize
*Learning Style
Inventory
*College Counselor
Visits
*Balancing Priorities
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Strategies (continued…)
• Assessment
• Narrow down the agreed upon list of core values to just
three or four words.
Strategies (continued…)
• Spread the word.
“Character Education is
not another subject to
be added to the plate,
…it IS the plate.”
~Marvin Berkowitz
(What Works In Character Education:
A Research-Driven Guide for Educators, 2005)
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Elevator speech…
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Mission based
-What evidence do we have that we are fulfilling the character part of our mission? (ISACS)
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Include administration early
-Character principles must be woven throughout the fabric of the school.
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Simple and easy to memorize
-3-5 words to “hang your hat on”
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Include everyone
-Buy in is huge to make this work, people get behind things they are included
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Easy to integrate
-not “extra” work for teachers or a passing fad
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