This Month's Best Practice

Each Month the Maryland Center for Character Education (MCCE) picks one of the Best Practices from a Character Education award winning school to share with you.

DECEMBER

This month's Best Practices is from an award winning school from 2004-2005.

 

BEST CHARACTER EDUCATION PRACTICES

 

School: Worthington Elementary School

Address: 4570 Round Hill Road, Ellicott City, Maryland 21043
Contact: Yvonne Harrison, Principal  
Phone: 410-313-2825
E-Mail: Yvonne_harrison@hcpss.org
             

 

Title of Best Practice: School-wide Approach to Teaching and Reinforcing Elements of Character

Primary Character Trait(s) Emphasized: Respect, Honesty, Responsibility, Self-Discipline, Trustworthiness, Fairness, Perseverance, Compassion, Integrity, and Citizenship

Objective(s): By June 2005, all students regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, or socioeconomic status will engage in activities that will increase their understanding of the forty assets in the character education program.

Brief Description (including such items as materials needed, persons responsible, sequence of activities, observable results, references, etc.)

Brief Description:

Over the summer Worthington’s school improvement team expanded upon our character education and asset development program in connection with the goals of our school improvement plan. The goal being that by June 2005, all students regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, or socioeconomic status will engage in activities that will increase their understanding of the forty assets in the character education program. This objective directly correlates with the Howard County Public Schools System goal number two, which states that each school will provide a safe and nurturing school environment that values our diversity and commonality. Strategies to continue this goal were then brainstormed by the character education committee.

 

As a result, our school-wide character education program was tied into our school-wide discipline program. Data was collected and analyzed on the students referred for discipline, the infraction related to the character trait was analyzed, the intervention tried with those students documented, and any noted progress was recorded. The Instructional Intervention Team analyzed this data quarterly, to monitor student progress. This information will be used to assess the effectiveness of character education, as it impacts discipline referrals. For each discipline referral, the student was required to complete a reflection letter that indicated the trait that the student needed to work on to improve his or her behavior, a component of the discipline program.

 

In late Aug. 2004-2005 school year, an orientation was given for our staff in which they prioritized the sequence that the designated “Words of Wisdom” (character traits) would be introduced. Our character education committee then presented the order that the character education traits would be presented under the format of one trait a month. As part of the orientation, the following was accomplished:

Activities:

•   Discussion and handouts were provided for staff to help them present character traits according to the appropriate grade level, while connecting the traits directly to the curriculum.

•   Continuity was maintained from last year to this year by displaying and reviewing the character education flags created by our students at each grade level.
  
•   The character education committee approached the PTA for funds to purchase posters and bulletin board displays that portrayed the ten character traits adopted by Worthington.

•   All 10 traits were displayed in the main hallway for students, staff and parents to see.

•   Each month as a character trait was presented, teams were given the poster that illustrated the specific trait for that month.

•   Members of the character education committee were responsible for defining and presenting the traits and created handouts for the staff and inserts for our parent newsletter.

•   The new trait was presented the first school day of every month during the morning announcements and introduced to the school as a whole.

•   Throughout the month, students shared thoughts about good character through their reading, writing, art, and oral reports. Then, some of these were highlighted during the morning announcements.

•   The School Counselor presented lessons on character education at each grade level throughout the year.

•   At management team meetings the teachers often shared what was happening in their classroom.

•   Numerous handouts were attached to the school newsletter promoting positive parenting, character education and fostering of the forty developmental assets.

•   Mid-year, Worthington’s student council created posters depicting the ten character traits and distributed bookmarks that discussed fifty ways to show good character.

•   Good character awards were purchased for distribution at the end of the year.

 

 

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The Maryland Center for Character Education
29 West Susquehanna Ave., Suite 300, Baltimore, MD 21204

Phone: 410-823-4902
Fax: 410-828-9661
E-Mail: MCCEcharacter@aol.com