SCHOOLWIDE

CHARACTER
EDUCATION
PROPOSAL
Ms. Cristen Simone
Elementary K-3
WHY IS A CHARACTER
EDUCATION PROGRAM
IMPORTANT?
• Helps students control their emotions

• Guides students to become better citizens

• Creates way for students to cope with issues

• Teaches students core values of the school

WHY IS A CHARACTER
EDUCATION PROGRAM
IMPORTANT?
• Teachers can use a designated time to teach virtues, so they do not take away from
instructional time during lessons (Was, C. A., et al., 2006)

• Designated character education time is known to improve student behavior during

class, help self-control, and improve social skills (Was, C. A., et al., 2006)

• These programs help shape students into adolescents by allowing their mind to grow
and to explore different issues (Bengü Ergüner-Tekinalp, et al., 2014).
WHICH PROGRAM WILL BE CHOSEN
FOR OUR SCHOOL?
• Our school will be implementing the program “CHARACTER COUNTS!”

• This program uses its Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring,
and citizenship as a foundational strategy (Character Counts, 2021).

• Students will be using the TEAM approach and will create an overall growth mindset (Character
Counts, 2021).

• The Four Wheels of Success: domains are broken down into four main areas ( Academic,
Social/Emotional, Character, and School Climate) (Character Counts, 2021).
FOUR WHEELS OF SUCCESS
ALIGNING THE MISSION AND
VISION OF SCHOOL
“iLearn Schools embraces the philosophy of educating the whole child. Through creating a campus
climate of mutual respect, students learn valuable social skills, set high expectations, demonstrate
leadership, and remain accountable as they develop both academically and socially.” (iLearn School,
2021).

• The implementation of this program will help instill students with our core values found in our
statement above.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT FOR
EACH GRADE LEVEL
Kindergarten: Students will begin to learn core values and skilled that are reviewed in “The Six Pillars of
Character”

1st Grade: Students will continue to learn with “The Six Pillars of Character” and will begin learning by the
TEAM approach

2nd Grade: Students will continue to learn with “The Six Pillars of Character” and will discuss topics found
in “The Four Wheels of Success”

3rd Grade: Students will continue to learn with “The Six Pillars of Character” and will discuss topics found
in “The Four Wheels of Success”
GOALS FOR PROGRAM, HOW WILL
GOALS BE COLLECTED AS DATA?
• Research shows that character education can improve areas such as attendance,
discipline problems and grades (Goss, S. J., et al., 2014)

• Higher academics: Grade and assessment data will be reviewed to see if student scores
progress after program implementation

• Attendance: Did students absences decrease or increase or remain the same ?

• Implementation Survey: This program offers an implementation survey that teachers can
take periodically, administration will review the material to see what areas need refinement

• Discipline Referrals: Did this improve since program was implemented?

 PROGRAM EVALUATION
• Administration will :
• Conduct walkthrough and observations to see how classes are
conducted
• Review periodic surveys conducted by the teacher to review
what is working or areas of concern
• Student grades will reflect any growth since program is
implemented
 STAKEHOLDERS SUPPORT
• Parents : support our program by instilling the values we review at home

• Teachers: use this program to address main concerns that are going on in classes (topics,
behavioral concerns, ect.)

• Administrators: Monitor program, lend support when needed, create a plan of action for
teachers to follow and alter as the year progresses
COMPARING PROGRAM
MODELS
• “Character First! Education” and “I CAN Character Curriculum” were two
other programs that were reviewed for our school.
• These programs address a wide range of issues but does not coherently
align with our school mission.
• “CHARACTER COUNTS!” breaks down topics by providing teachers
and students with domains and categories.
• All material is provided with “CHARACTER COUNTS!”
• Training and surveys are also provided to help aid our teachers and
students achieve the purpose for implementing this program
 IMPLEMENTING THE
PROGRAM
• Teacher Training/Professional Development: Training through this Program is offered and will be
mandatory for teachers to take

• Refresher Training: This program offers training periodically and about different aspects of the program,
to target areas teachers need support in

• Presentation for Parents: Parents and guardians will be invited to a presentation that will be given to
explain the program and goals for the program, they will be allowed to ask questions at the end

• Concerns: any concerns or obstacles that are addressed will be covered by the action plan, I will explain to
all staff and families that this program will be improved when needed.
• I will also provide data and statistics from other schools who have implemented programs in their
building and received positive outcomes
 RESOURCES
Bengü Ergüner-Tekinalp, & Kris Crabtree-Groff. (2014). Young Leaders of Character Program: A Model of
Character Education Program for Improving Life Effectiveness Skills and Civic Responsibility of
Adolescents. Journal of Youth Development, 9(4), 31–46. https://
doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.5195/jyd.2014.38

Character Counts. (2021). Character education and SEL curriculum resources, activities, lessons, and more!
https://charactercounts.org/

Goss, S. J., & Holt, C. R. (2014). Perceived Impact of a Character Education Program at a Midwest Rural
Middle School: A Case Study. Education Leadership Review of Doctoral Research, 1(2), 49–64.

iLearn Schools. (2021). iLearn Schools Elementary School Employee Handbook. Paterson Arts and Science
Charter School.

Was, C. A., Woltz, D. J., & Drew, C. (2006). Evaluating character education programs and missing the target: A
critique of existing research. Educational Research Review, 1(2), 148–156. https://
doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2006.08.001