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Pinellas County Schools Keep Character at the Core
Story posted March, 2009
Results:
• At Sawgrass Lake Elementary, discipline referrals have dropped by 50% since the school focused on character education
• The suspension rate at schools actively involved in the Partnerships in Character Education grant declined by an average of 2.7%, avoiding more than 600 missed school days in one year
• In schools implementing character education programs, disciplinary referrals from bus drivers have decreased by more than 60%
The Pinellas County School District is the 7th largest in Florida and the 23rd largest in the country, with over 152,000 Pre-K through adult students.
When in 1995 several Pinellas students were caught stealing from a program that gave them hands-on experience in local small businesses, the district swung into action. It collaborated with the community to develop an innovative character education program. Over 12 years later, character education has become an integral part of what we do, and it is paying impressive dividends for students across the district.
Rather than focusing only on dishonesty, the newly developed Commitment to Character (C2C) program, a collaborative effort between the school district and the University of South Florida, aimed to promote high student achievement in a safe and respectful learning environment. The Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools coordinates the program using funds provided by a Federal Partnerships in Character Education grant and the Pinellas County Education Foundation.
The Pinellas County Community played a critical role in shaping C2C. Through community forums and over 1,000 surveys, we identified the character traits that would frame the program: respect, responsibility, honesty, and self motivation. With input from parents, community, staff and students, we expanded the program in 2004 to focus on one character quality each month: respect, responsibility, cooperation, citizenship, kindness, self-motivation, tolerance, honesty, self-control, caring, courage and patriotism.
We make sure that reminders about positive character are ubiquitous in classrooms, schools, and throughout the district. English and Spanish posters hang in schools, offices, community agencies and businesses. Schools integrate C2C in mission statements, discipline plans, newsletters, calendars, morning announcements, food services and transportation plans. Character qualities appear in classrooms and hallways, on marquees, web pages, in cafeterias and on 900 school buses.
C2C integrates character education into classroom instruction via a menu of intentional, research based strategies. Students internalize the character qualities through reflection sheets, discussion of ethical dilemmas, journal writing, service learning, and role-playing exercises.
At the secondary level, we have launched innovative practices such as a High School Ethics Bowl and Student Leadership Days. Secondary level teachers construct lessons plans that bring character education into existing curriculum, highlighting the connection between State Standards and important character traits.
The district has trained teachers and administrators to use the Character Education Partnership's 11 Principles to implement and evaluate how C2C in their schools. Our two-day professional development conference, "Character Camp," features national character education experts and breakout sessions demonstrating best practices. A character education staff developer and teachers from schools recognized for their exemplary character education programs model these practices and mentor Pinellas County teachers.
At Pinellas County Schools, we recognize that excellent character education requires parent involvement and community support, so we feature C2C in PTA workshops and newsletters. Every month we send all parents "dinner dilemmas," or ethical scenarios families can use to discuss character traits with their children. Even our annual bus assignments include guidelines for good character on the bus. Aftercare providers, civic organizations, the Boy Scouts, community agencies, and local colleges and universities all take part in character education through partnerships with our schools
Our approach has truly paid off. Commitment to Character has increased the amount of time students spend learning in school. According to a formal evaluation of C2C by the Florida Mental Health Institute, schools that had most fully implemented the program had significantly fewer suspensions. The Safe and Drug Free Schools Annual Progress Report extends these findings: the percentage of students suspended for defiance and insubordination fell from 15.7% in 2004-2005 to 13.8% in 2006-2007. Disciplinary referrals from bus drivers have also decreased by more than 60% in schools implementing character education programs.
The suspension rate at schools actively involved in the Partnerships in Character Education grant declined by an average of 2.7 percent. This reduction in suspensions adds up to more than 600 school days students did not have to miss over the course of the school year. At one school, Sawgrass Lake Elementary, discipline referrals have dropped by almost half since the school focused on character education.
Attendance has improved for every month of the school year as well. According to one survey, the percentage of students who reported missing school due to safety concerns decreased from 6.7% in 2004 to 5.7% in 2006. Volunteerism has increased, with students logging more than 1.1 million volunteer hours during the 2006-2007 school year.
The many awards the district has received offer another measure of its success. Pinellas County Schools was named a 2007 National District of Character. Cross Bayou Elementary was a 2006 National School of Character. Two years later, Seminole Elementary and Sawgrass Lake Elementary were named 2008 Florida State Schools of Character. Pinellas has also won three promising practice awards from the Character Education Partnership.
The "Commitment to Character" program has helped create a respectful learning environment and culture of achievement in Pinellas County Schools. The keys to our success include strong administrative support, a core group of dedicated educators, frequent student input, and true collaboration among schools and the community.
Most important, we have learned that instilling good character is not the work of a single event or worksheet. Rather, it requires sustained commitment to modeling, teaching, learning, and practicing the principles of character education.
For additional information, please contact:
Janet Urbanski
Supervisor, Safe and Drug Free Schools, Pinellas County Schools
727-588-6130
urbanskij@pcsb.org
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