Transcript Leadership - Benjamin Systems.com

"Inspiring Learners Through Educational Excellence
for a lifetime of global opportunities."
Birmingham MI Public Schools
Presentation
August 2011
Building a
District of Character
Mapping your Character Journey
through the Eleven Principles
Presenter: Richard Benjamin
CEP Senior Consultant
[email protected]
Agenda

August 7 - Morning
Overview / Introduction







Great-To- Great Dilemma
Character Education
Partnership
11 Principles of Quality
Character Education
Break
Moral / Ethical Leadership
WOTS Up Analysis
What do you want to
Learn? (Set Objectives)
August 7 - Afternoon
 Leadership by Job-Alike
Groups
 Leadership by CrossTeams
 Encouraging Teacher
Leadership
 Team Presentations
 Closure
Special Recognition
This is to recognize the quality work of Dr.
Eileen Dachnowicz, who prepared the
initial plan for the Birmingham Public
Schools workshop. The illness of her
husband prevented her from presenting.
 Marvin is home now, but still requires
close care.
 Eileen researched BPS and had great
suggestions for ‘customizing’ this
presentation – We thank her very much….

Crucial Step in YOUR Journey:
Taking a Snapshot of Your School/District
 WHAT is special about
your school/district in
its character journey?
 WHERE would you like
to go?
Creating a District of Character
Essential Questions: Your Character Journey
Leadership….
How does character education impact
academics?(distract, neutral, accelerate / deepen learning?)
How do the Eleven Principles provide a
framework for teaching character and
deepening learning?
How can character be embedded into
everything we do? (
(NSOC Examples))
What should a school/district of
character look like? (NSOC Examples)
How can we apply what we learned today
to our district, school? (Imagination / Innovation)
Key Issues

Concepts:
 Moral
Values
 Performance Values
 Intellectual Values
 Encourage/Demand
 Human Potential
 Climate / Culture
 Balance / Synergy
 Other….

Strategies:
 Modeling
(Respect)
 Opportunities for
Moral Action
 Caring Curriculum
 Values Education
 Dinner Dilemmas
 Storytelling
 Other….
Leadership: What are we doing?
(Laying bricks or building a cathedral?)

Pins / balloons

 Good-To-Great
 Assess-to-21st

 Academics

Balance Yardstick
/ 21st
Century & Character
 Academics
 Test
for 4-year olds
 China – single child
Cent
Skewer / Balloon
Will Power
Intrinsic Motivation
 Empathy

Evidence that Character Education
Improves Academics in 2011 NSOC:
Primary Level: Renfro, Roosevelt
K-5 Economically Disadvantaged:
Walnut St., Oakwood, Union
K-5 Affluent: Duffy, Bingham Farms,
Pierce, Pembroke
Middle School: Carusi, Fox
High Schools: Lindbergh, South
Brunswick
Helpful Guides in Mapping
Your Character Journey
Eleven Principles of Effective Character
Education (www.character.org)*
 Capsule Summary Sheet of
11 Principles (includes revisions)
 Quick Overview of Revisions
 District Guidelines

*Web site: You can download the revised 11 Principles as well as
Sourcebook Connections pages of topics for each Principle. Also,
look at NSOC videos, lesson plans, research articles.
Eleven Principles of Effective Character
Education: An Overview
Principle 11:
Assessment
Where are we now?
Where do we want to go?
How well are we doing?
Principles 4,5,6,7
Principles 1,2,3
What is quality
character education?
What does a school or
district with
quality character ed
look like?
Principles 8,9,10
Who should be involved
in character education?
Thinking
(Cognitive)
CEP Framework for
Effective Character
Education
The Eleven Principles
2
Character
Formation
Acting
(Behavioral)
Feeling
(Affective)
Family & Comprehensive
Community
Intentional
Partners
Proactive
10
3 Meaningful
Shared
Academic
Moral
Curriculum
Leadership
6
9
Moral
Action
5
Self
Motivation
7
Caring
Community
4
Staff
Learning
Community
8
1
Core Values
Ethical
Assessment 11
Next
Old-timers: Check the Overview of 2010
Revision to See Changes to 11 Principles.
Advantage of 2010 Revision:
 Process no longer competitive
 Schools/districts show a level
of excellence
 Annual Publication honors
SSOC and NSOC
 More space to write
 Fewer pages of artifacts
 YOU decide what’s more
important to highlight.
Try the 11 Principles Capsule
Summary Sheet (with revisions)
Where are YOU on this road?
Fill in the empty boxes. Where is your
school/district in your character journey?
A Tale of Three Districts:
Putting the Pieces Together
Fox C-6 District
 School District of Jefferson
 Peters Township School District

What did you learn that could be applied to
Birmingham?
Principle 1: Promotes Core
Ethical/Performance Values
AARP:




ALL agree/affirm
ALL actions (common
language; staff model; staff
hiring, training)
Revisit annually
Promote everywhere
Mill Pond School, MA:
Bingham Farms, Pembroke, Pierce: Touchstones
Our Core Values
Head – Heart – Hands / Behavior
Leadership
Beyond the CORE
(Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, Caring, etc.)


Character strengths such as empathy, fairness,
trustworthiness, generosity, and compassion are aspects
of our capacity to love. These qualities make up what we
could speak of as “moral character”; they enable us to be
our best ethical selves in relationships and in our roles
as citizens.
Character strengths such as effort, initiative, diligence,
self-discipline, and perseverance constitute our capacity
to work. These qualities make up what we could speak
of as “performance character”; they enable us to
achieve, given a supportive environment, our highest
potential in any performance context (the classroom, the
athletic arena, the workplace, etc.).
BPS - CORE VALUE STATEMENTS
Birmingham Public Schools value:

Individuals We value and respect
each member of our community
and are committed to each
individual’s growth and
development.
 Diversity We celebrate and
embrace the unique qualities each
person contributes to our global
community.
 Collaboration We foster
collaboration through engagement
and effective communication in all
of our interactions, in preparation
for developing partnerships
throughout the world.
 Innovation We nurture innovation
and change by modeling courage,
resilience, curiosity, creativity,
risk-taking, exploration, and
reflection.

Strategic Plan
Excellence We inspire academic
excellence by challenging all
learners to exceed expectations.
 Leadership We empower all
learners to demonstrate strong
character as they lead and mentor
within the school and the
community.
 Learning We instill passion and
excitement for continuous learning
through an intellectually rich,
engaging and safe learning
environment.
 Civic Responsibility We foster
civic responsibility by engaging
students in community service
learning and inspiring them to
become involved in local, national,
and international topics.
Principle 2: Involves
thinking, feeling, doing
URP
Understand values
Reflect on them
Practice them
Roosevelt Primary School, Ferndale,
MI: providing the road map from
the earliest days.
Principle # 3 Head – Thinking – Moral Reasoning
Also: Consider the
Organizational Chart,
and Servant Leadership?
Spirit Covey
Hands – Acting - Moral Behavior
Heart – Feeling – Moral Feelings
Principle 3: Comprehensive,
Intentional, Proactive
Four I’s:
Intentional
Integrated into
academics
In daily routines
Infused in school life
Orrs Elementary School, GA: Character-building
shapes the students’ lives.
Leadership in Birmingham Schools….
Perhaps a 5th ‘I’ - Innovation…. of Strategies




Clarity of shared
values
Focus on high levels
of achievement
Courage to seriously
pursue broader
(character) objectives
Artful Leadership?
 Next
Slide



Culture of Continuous
Improvement
Encouragement of
trying experiments
Taking risks...even
in a very good
school….direct
assault on the ‘goodto-great’ barrier
Reframing Organizations:
Artistry, Choice, and Leadership
by Lee Bolman & Terry Deal
“…Artistic leaders…help us see beyond
today’s reality to new forms that release
untapped individual energies and improve
collective performance. The leader as artist
relies on
 images as well as memos,
 poetry as well as policy,
 reflection as well as command, and
 reframing as well as refitting.” p 18

Look at your journey in terms of
Principles 1 through 3.
What new insights about shaping your
journey did you get?
Principle 4: Caring Community
Four Kinds of Caring:
Adults for kids
Kids for kids
Processes in place
that help kids to care
Adults for adults
Fuguitt Elementary School, Largo, FL:
Character Coaches
Largo, Pinellas County Schools
Principle 5: Opportunities
for Moral Action
Moral Actions & Service:

Opportunities for showing
character: sportsmanship conflict
resolution, academic integrity;
service learning

Service Learning in school:
connected to curriculum

ASL
Service Learning in community:
students assess community needs
Greenfield Elementary: Red Carpet Gala
QUICK REVIEW
SIX Parts to Service-Learning:
IPARDC
Investigating an
Issue
 Preparation
 Action
 Reflection
 Demonstrating to
Wider Audience
 Celebration

What core
values does
each of these
steps develop?
Academic Service Learning - China
Principle 6: Meaningful
Academics
Curriculum:


Engaging,
interactive
Accommodates
differences & helps
ALL achieve
Performance values:




thinking
working
social habits
academic integrity
Academic Integrity in the Digital World:
Birmingham Covington; Beverly, Birmingham Public
Schools, Michigan
CEP - Principle 6
Providing A Meaningful Academic Curriculum

When teachers bring to the
fore the character dimension of
the curriculum, they enhance
the relevance of subject
matter to students’ natural
interests and questions, and in
the process, increase student
engagement and
achievement. p1

How can schools harness the
time and energy going into
academics to simultaneously
(and naturally) promote
character development? p2

How can schools enhance
academic learning through
character development? p2
21st Century Teaching & Learning in the Birmingham Public Schools
Principle 7: Develops Students’
Self-Motivation




Moral Action for its own
sake
Intrinsic not extrinsic
rewards
Behavior management
tied to values vs Rules
Academic Integrity
stressed
Milwaukee College Prep, WI: Students striving
to be the very best they can be
Intrinsic Motivation


Lesson Design
Rubric


Drive by Daniel Pink
Bill Scott Dissertation
STOP! Look back at your journey.
Which programs worked for you?
Let’s SHARE our successes.
Description
Name of
Program
Level
Contact
Dr. David Larson,
Superintendent  Our graduates also

Academic Achievement

Each BPS graduate
understands the core
elements of what makes
a person of strong
character. (integrity, respect,
kindness, responsibility)
understand what it
means to be a 21st
Century Learner. (problem
solvers, critical thinkers, and
proficient communicators)

Finally, our graduates
understand what it
means to be a balanced
and complete
individual. (sports, visual and
performing arts, and service
projects)
Principle 8: Staff shares responsibility for
character education & models it.




Staff models values
Training for ALL staff
Staff as ethical
learning community
Adequate time for
planning, training
Cross Bayou Elementary
School, FL; Pinellas County
Schools, FL
Pinellas County
Modeling!

(Like a Mobius)
Internal Growth

Influencing the Culture,
with others

Managing Trust &
Agreement – Peter Block

How do you plan to deal
with:
 Becoming
more like the
person you want to be
 Cynics
 Victims
 Bystanders
Principle 9: Shared Leadership
All Involved: Principal, leadership group;
students; CE will continue if principal leaves!
Rockwood Public Schools, MO: Everyone’s involved!
Shared Leadership

Servant Leadership –


Moral –
Invitational
 Purkey
/ Siegel
Student leadership
 Academic
Service
Learning

 Sergiovanni


Principle-Centered
 Covey

/ Staff
Meetings?
Transformational
/ Bass
Teacher Leadership
 Modeling
Greenleaf / Spears
 Burns




Parent Leadership
Community Leadership
School Board
Leadership / Modeling
Principle 10: Family & Community as
Partners in Character Education
Calling All
in the
Community



Recognize families as partners
Two-way communication between families/school
Recruit & include business, faith, civic, youth in
wider community/integrate values in their work
Lindbergh School District: Hearts to Serve, Hands to Help
Learning Communities 
Who do the Schools
Belong to?

 My
School???
 Our School
 Your School
Brought 72 Chinese
teachers to visit
Stephenson High
School
 Dufour
& Eaker
 Through New Eyes

Charles Darwin HS
 How
do you plan to
deal with students who
fall through the
cracks?
Dinner Dilemmas –
Each Month / In English & Spanish







Pinellas County (FL) Schools – Character Education Partnership –
Commitment To Character
Dinner Dilemmas – Writing Prompt
Caring – Week Four
Situation: It is Monday morning and the student responsible for cleaning the
cage and feeding the class pet is absent.
Dilemma: On the one hand Sam does not like to clean the pet’s cage and
knows it is not his job this week. On the other hand Sam knows someone
needs to volunteer to care for the pet.
Discussion: What is your advice to Sam?
Task: Write about the dilemma, identifying three or more ways to address
the dilemma, and, telling why it might feel like a real dilemma to Sam, and
clearly letting Sam know what you think he should do, and why. Be sure to
practice good writing skills, and turn in a paper you have proofread with
another student and revised until it is very good.
Principle 11: Assess character of
school, school staff, and students



Evaluate performance,
discipline data, growth
Survey teachers, staff,
students, parents: shape
plans accordingly
Staff reflects on self,
student perceptions &
reports to community
Alan B. Shepard Elementary, Old Bridge, NJ: Uses survey
results, CEP Feedback to design new programs.
School Transformation

Transformational
Leadership
 Transformational

 Rubric
vs
Transactional
 Ethical
 Invitational
 Moral
 Principle-Centered
School Level
Transformation

Classroom Level
Transformation
Let’s talk about teamwork: What should a
school, district of character look like?
Principles 8, 9,10 are about teamwork,
and Principle 11 is about assessment.
Each table agrees on what should be
included in transforming a
school or district into a true
model of character?
School Transformation / Transformational Leadership
Transformational Leadership
Transformational vs Transactional
 Ethical
 Invitational

Break

Reflection –
 What
have you
identified, during the
morning, that is
surprising,
significant, or
helpful?
 Please
be ready to
share….

Planning –
 What
would be the best
next steps for you?
 What would be the best
next steps for your
School or Department?
 What would be the best
next steps for the
Birmingham Public
School System /
Community?
Attack the Target
Head-on!
Using the Principles to Chart Your Journey

TIME FOR REFLECTION: WHICH Principle will be your
“area of growth”?

TIME FOR ACTION: (This can be done later)
Design a plan of action for the Principle which is your
“area of growth.” WHAT will you do and WHO will be
involved in order to add needed chapters to your story?
Let’s see what we learned today:
What does a district/school of character look like?
How do the 11 Principles apply to our district? Our
jobs?
What does the role of an administrator look like in a
district of character?
Despite our workload, how can we integrate character
into what we’re doing? Pulley Metaphor
How do we do it so people see it as a way of life not
an add-on?
Classroom ‘Leverage’ From
Student Engagement
Teacher doing
all the lifting
Adding ‘Technology’
What happens
with little or
no Student
Engagement?
Teacher still
doing all the lifting
Classroom ‘Leverage’ From Character
Education & Student Engagement
Teacher – Role Change Identifies,
needed inputs, strategies
(Then Get Out Of the Way)
Teacher adds
one single
and
one double pulley….
Reducing the work to
¼ of the original effort
for the same result
Double Pulley
To Do: Identify the metaphor
for the ‘distance’ variable…..
(Emotion)?
Classroom ‘Leverage’ From Character
Education & Student Engagement
Culture of Character –
Respect / Responsibility,
Class Meetings, Cooperative
Learning, Co-Teaching
Teacher –
Real world application,
Academic Service Learning,
Drama/Performance ofTeaching other students
identifies outcomes,
needed inputs,
strategies
Arts-Based,
Hands On
Activities, with
Formative Feedback from
self-assessment,
And co-learning
Character Education:
Core Values
Performance Values
Intellectual Character
Student – Engaged
and taking
Responsibility for
his/her
own learning……
Pulling his/her
Share!
Let’s see what we learned today:
Let’s put what we learned into action!
What specific things can we do at our level to
facilitate character education in my building?
What can we contribute specifically as administrators?
What steps can we take to be leaders of character?
Fitting all the
pieces together is
not easy, but with
the help of
students, staff,
parents, it can be
done.
Only thing harder is to NOT
put the pieces together!
Essential Questions: Did we address them?
How does character education impact
academics?
How do the Eleven Principles provide a
framework for teaching academics &
character?
How can character be naturally
embedded into everything we do?
What should a school/district of
character look like?
How can we apply what we learned today
to our district, school?
Time for Review and Reflection!
Quick Review:
Cite ONE concept you
will remember from
today’s session.
Quick Implementation:
Cite ONE strategy that
you deem your school/
district needs most.