Character Education and Ethics: Applied Critical Thinking ... March 18, 2009 School... · Character Education and Ethics: Applied Critical Thinking (ACT) School Board of Palm Beach

Character Education and Ethics: Applied Critical Thinking (ACT) School Board of Palm Beach County

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Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424)

DOE Supplemental Information for SF 424 with Exempt Research Narrative

ED Abstract Form

Table of Contents

1. Quality of the Project Design Introduction (a) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. (b) The extent to which the design for implementing and evaluating the proposed project will result in information to guide possible replication of project activities or strategies, including information about the effectiveness of the approach or strategies employed by the project. (c) The extent to which the proposed project is designed to build capacity and yield results that will extend beyond the period of Federal financial assistance. 2. Quality of the Management Plan (a) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks. (b) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives are brought to bear

in the operation of the proposed project, including those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of disciplinary and professional fields, students including students with disabilities (mental and physical) or others as appropriate. 3. Quality of Project Personnel (a) The extent to which the applicant encourages applications for employment from persons who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age or disability.

(b) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of key project personnel.

4. Quality of Project Evaluation

(a) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative data to the extent possible.

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(b) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward achieving intended outcomes. (c) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other settings.

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Budget Information Form (ED Form 524)

Budget Narrative Attachment Form

Appendices

1. ED GEPA 427 Form

2. Proof of Federally Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate

3. Prior Grant Experience

4. Alison Adler, Ed.D. Resume

5. Kim C. Williams, M.S. Resume

6. Dione Christy, Ph.D. Resume

7. Susan Knight Resume

8. Paula Mirk, M.Ed., Resume

9. John Enger, Ph.D. Resume

10. Letter of Support: Palm Beach County Leadership.

11. Letter of Support: United Way

12. References

13. Exempt from E012372 Letter

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Assurances and Certifications

1. Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF 424B)

2. Grants.gov Lobbying Form (formerly ED Form 80-0013)

3. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF –LLL) (Not Applicable)


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1. QUALITY OF THE PROJECT DESIGN (30 POINTS) (a) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed

project are clearly specified and measurable. (10 points) Introduction: Character Education and Ethics: Applied Critical Thinking (ACT) will help

“students and adults to understand, care about, and act on core ethical values such as respect,

justice, civic virtue and citizenship, and responsibility for self and others.” The project will

integrate character education and ethics into the culture instruction in randomly selected high

schools as part of existing character education efforts. Using an experimental design, the project

meets the Government Performance and Results Act performance indicators and the Absolute,

Competitive, and Invitational Priorities of the grant.

The need for character education, where “responsibility”, “trustworthiness”, and “justice and

fairness” could be viewed as the “what”, while ethical discourse could be considered the “how”,

has never been more pronounced in Palm Beach County. The mission of our School District

reads, “The School Board of Palm Beach County is committed to excellence in education and

preparation of all our students with the knowledge, skills, and ethics required for responsible

citizenship and productive employment” but an ethics crisis plagues the county. Congressmen

have resigned and not been reelected due to ethics violations and county and city commissioners

are in prison, facing prison, and/or just out of prison on corruption-related charges. Local citizens

have asked the county commissioners to create an anti-corruption team. The local university,

Florida Atlantic University, established a Public Ethics Academy in response to the crisis. The

State Senate passed Bill 1712, the “Ethics in Education Act” (2008). The need, and the

community consciousness expressed by diverse groups, makes this the perfect time to implement

a new character education/ethics initiative in Palm Beach County schools.


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The district contains the enormous wealth of Palm Beach residents and the poverty of the

workers in the sugar cane fields. Despite its reputation for great wealth, 45% of the district’s

168,342 students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Its students are diverse: 39% are white,

29% black, 24% Hispanic, and 13% other. Over 149 languages and dialects are spoken.

In the state of Florida, a character development program is required in kindergarten through

12th grade (Section 233.061, Florida Statutes). The Superintendent of Schools, who is highly

supportive of the district’s character education efforts, has specifically requested that the

Division of Curriculum place an increased emphasis on teaching ethics, while reinforcing sound

character education. “Development of moral reasoning, problem solving, and interpersonal skills,

a work ethic, empathy, and self-reflection is recognized as essential for optimal character

development” (DOE, 2007). According to Paula Mirk, Vice President of the Institute for Global

Ethics, ethics may be defined as “the broad study of what is right and what is good.”

Ethical discourse leads to critical and higher order thinking, which focus on the top three

levels of Bloom's Taxonomy: analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Key elements of critical and

creative thinking are: knowledge, including moral and practical knowledge; skills such as

comparing and contrasting, identifying assumptions and relationships and patterns; values as

well as attitudes such as open mindedness (Klenz S., 1987). According to the Tell Me What You

Really Think, A Report of the Schools of Integrity Project, teachers found that investigating

values and ethics stimulate deep critical thinking and discussion and sets up strong “synergy”

with academic goals. Furthermore, student achievement and interest is higher when the topics,

such as real life ethical dilemmas, are relevant to them.

Review of implementation of the character education efforts reveals the need and opportunity

for increased work at the secondary level. The Assistant Director of Single School Culture for


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Academics reports that high school teachers bemoan the inability of students to think through

problems. The project will focus on high schools. Over 70% of local elementary and middle

schools utilize Character Education initiatives, but only 48% of the high schools do. High school

students are almost unanimous in saying that ethics and character are important on both a

personal level and in business, but the vast majority admit to behavior that runs contrary to their

beliefs, including lying to parents and teachers, cheating, and stealing (Josepheson Inst., 2008).

Research suggests that comprehensive, high quality character education is not only effective at

promoting the development for good character, but is a promising approach to the prevention of

a wide range of contemporary problems. Character education and improved climate are

associated with improved academic achievement and behavior (Tableman, B., 2004). Both are

needed in this district: there were 8861 incidents of disobedience/insubordination and 441

incidents of lying reported last year (Incident Summary Report, 2009) and 62% percent of high

school students score below proficiency in reading based on the 2008 Florida Comprehensive

Assessment Test (FCAT).

The proposed project meets the ABSOLUTE PRIORITY. 1) It addresses the components

of character education and ethical reasoning and is designed to be integrated into high school

curriculum that is already aligned with the Florida Sunshine State Standards (SSS). Furthermore,

the Florida Department of Education is revising current SSS and states, “Florida’s standards will

incorporate important skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, innovation,

collaboration and communication.”

The project includes five elements. Faith-based and community partners representing various

perspectives and constituents, including those with disabilities, are members of the District’s

Character Education Committee (CEC). The Committee will guide and support the project


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(INVITATIONAL PRIORITY). Members will attend training to help ensure sustainability. 1)

Each treatment school will receive a whole school orientation to the project and the highly

respected and renowned Institute for Global Ethics (IGE). 2) With the coaching and consultation

of IGE, teams of teachers from the treatment schools will join members of the CEC to form The

Character Education/Ethics Curriculum Team (“Curriculum Team”). They will examine existing

State curricula to determine the best places to incorporate character education/ethics lessons,

called Character Education/Ethics Resources (CHEERS), which will be developed and inserted

into Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Fine Arts, and Physical Education. They will

be matched to existing scope and sequence. By the end of the treatment period, these CHEERS

will be placed on the School District’s online Learning Village, a one-stop, web-based

instructional organizer so that these extension lessons will be available to all district teachers. 3)

Each school will participate in the Ethical Literacy® Initiative provided IGE. The Initiative

equips school-based teams to educate the entire school community about ethics, engaging all

constituents in building a school culture where “doing the right thing” is top priority. These

schools will also participate in existing character education initiatives. 4) Each treatment school

will receive a license from IGE to implement their Building Decision Skills curriculum, aligned

to state standards, which was only one of three curricula to merit a positive rating from the What

Works Clearinghouse (WWC, 2007). The lessons will be taught in ninth grade Social Studies

classes each year. 5) CHEERS will be offered to each student in grades 10-12 in their core

subject and Fine Arts and Physical Education classes.

2. The ABSOLUTE PRIORITY to carry out the project in conjunction with other educational

reform efforts will also be met since the project will become part of Single School Culture©

(SSC), the district’s three-pronged school reform process developed by the nationally-renowned


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Chief of Safety and Learning Environment, Alison Adler, Ed.D. Every School Improvement Plan

is required to include goals and strategies linked to SSC.

In addition to Sunshine State Standards and the school reform process of SSC, the project is

aligned with the groundbreaking work of Kendall and Marzano on standards for Life Skills in the

areas of interpersonal abilities and critical thinking skills as well as academic benchmarks.

(Kendall, J. & Marzano, R., 2008, p. 572).

The project meets the COMPETITIVE PRIORITY by using an experimental design: the

evaluator will randomly select eight schools from the pool of interested high schools (maximum

number in the pool =23): four will then be randomly assigned to the treatment groups and four to

the control group.

(a) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. (10 points)

Goal 1: To increase the use of Character and Ethics Education at the high school level Objectives:

Implement the Building Decision Skills curriculum in treatment schools in 9th grade Form curriculum writing teams. Develop Character Education/Ethics Resources (CHEER) lessons for insertion in core

academic subjects and fine arts electives. Conduct 9 CHEER lessons per subject area in grades 10-12 Post CHEER lessons on Learning Village

Outcome 1.1: By 6/30/2013, a Curriculum Team with representatives from each discipline will have infused CHEERS and the Building Decision Skills curriculum extensions into the existing 9-12 curricula for Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Fine Arts, and Physical Education and placed these extension on Learning Village. Outcome 1.2 By 6/30/201, 90% of teachers from each school will have attended training in CHEERS. Activities/Services/Training: 1) Curriculum Teams will be selected among teachers from each discipline from the project schools, K-12 Curriculum District Office, Project Leadership (character education experts), Department of Safe School drug/violence prevention staff and conflict resolution expert. They will be trained by the Institute for Global Ethics (IGE) in ethics, curriculum integration, and activities. 2) With ongoing consultation, quality review, and monthly meetings, the CHEERS will be created by the Curriculum Team. 3) Educational Technology will teach the Curriculum Team how to integrate the CHEERS into the existing curriculum using the easily accessible Learning Village. 4) A 60 point on-line staff development course (“component”) will be developed, marketed, promoted and monitored by project staff.


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Goal 2: To increase faculty and administration involvement in Character Education at the treatment high schools. Objectives:

Train faculty in Character and Ethics Education. Teachers will teach Building Decision Skills and CHEERS Engage faculty members in existing District Character Education efforts (i.e. Pre-School

Character Education Conferences, the monthly Character Education Committee, student recognition programs).

Outcome 2:1 By 6/30/2013, each treatment high school will have participated in the ACT project including whole staff orientation workshops and 3 year Ethical Literacy® Initiative Outcome 2:2 By 6/30/11, each student, grades 10-12, including those with disabilities, will receive 9 extension lessons a year in ethics in Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Fine Arts, and Physical Education integrated into the curriculum and aligned to standards. Outcome 2.3 For each year of the project, all participating high schools will participate in the Character Education Pre-School Conference and the District Character Education Meetings and will nominate students for character recognition awards. Activities/Services/Training: 1) Year 1 of the project, Project Staff and IGE will conduct whole school orientations to ACT that will include: overview of grant, its goals, and evaluation requirements; overview of Character Education including Florida law and the Character Education Partnership’s 11 Principles of Effective Character Education; Ethical Literacy® project to be presented in years 2,3,4; and an introduction of the planned work of the Curriculum Team. Staff will be encouraged to volunteer for the Curriculum Team (paid extra duty hours) and the future Ethical Literacy® teams. 2) Year 2 of the Project: The Ethical Literacy® process will commence. An Ethical Literacy® team of eight to ten people is established at each school and participates in a two-day Ethical Literacy® training with an IGE Ethical Literacy® coach to equip constituents with ethical decision making skills and to help them consider their school culture through the lens of ethics. The two day training ends with: understanding and facility with key vocabulary and concepts about ethics, including why ethics matters, core ethical values and ethical decision making; grounding in best practices for helping school communities support ethics, and a clear sense of their own school’s strengths and needs in this regard; a month-by-month Ethical Literacy® action plan for the first year of work, and a broad plan for future work. 3)Year 3 Ethical Literacy® process progresses, with CHEERS lessons being taught in Grades 10 – 12 and Building Decision Skills being used in Grade 9. IGE Ethical Literacy® coaches: guide the team forward through regular, scheduled coaching sessions that tackle questions or concerns and provide technical assistance; reinforce team learning through web based training; provide new activities to equip the team to deliver to a variety of school community constituents including administration, faculty, students and parents; and lead the team in periodic benchmarking to measure and celebrate progress, and to determine next steps.


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4) Year 4: Ethical Literacy® continues with implementation of all previous activities, along with new CHEERS innovations. By the winter, Ethical Literacy® Teams guided by Project personnel will plan implementation in the control schools and other interested schools in the District. The Character Education Preschool Conference is held before school and includes staff from all schools who receive training in integrating character education into the curriculum; existing resources; teaching strategies that bolster curriculum integration (such as cooperative learning); district initiatives; and school successes. The District Character Education Committee meetings cover existing resources, shared successes, community initiatives that want approval from the committee to serve schools, overviews of the existing on–line courses (Restoring School Civility, substance abuse prevention); participation in character recognition programs is emphasized. Goal 3: To decrease the number of disobedient/insubordination and lying incidents and increase academic achievement at the project high schools. Objective:

Teach all students, including those with disabilities, Building Decision Skills curriculum in their 9th grade Social Studies classes.

Teach all students 9 CHEERS lessons, to be integrated into each Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Fine Arts, and Physical Education class Years 2,3, and 4.

Nominate students for Character Education newspaper recognition and/or End of Year recognition event.

Outcome 3.1 By 6/30/2013, there will be a 10% reduction disobedient/insubordination and lying incidents at the targeted schools. Outcome 3.2 By 6/30/2013, the percentage of students showing learning gains in reading at the project schools will increase by 5% as measured by FCAT results. Activities/Services/Training: 1) Each 9th grade student will be taught 10 lessons from the Building Decision Skills curriculum during their required Social Studies class.) In Years Two – Four, every student in grades 10–12 will be taught 9 CHEERS in Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Fine Arts, and Physical Education. 3) Each school will conduct the identified activities selected by their Ethical Literacy Teams and supported with implementation assistance by IGE. 4) Schools will nominate students for the character education recognition events and newspaper articles. Goal 4: To improve the school climate for students, teachers, and parents. Objectives:

Implement the ACT project in the schools, including: infusion of the CHEERS into the curriculum accessible on Learning Village, completion of the Ethical Literacy approach at each school, receipt of Building Decision Skills curriculum by students, full participation in the other character education initiatives offered.

Gain participation of parents, community partners, and faith-based groups. Outcome 4.1: Student, teacher, and parent responses on the School Effectiveness Questionnaire climate surveys will show a 10% increase from baseline by 6/30/2013. Activities/Services/Training: 1) All activities, services and training described above. 2) Parents will participate in focus groups to identify areas of concern related to ethics from which 4 DVD’s for parents will be made and distributed to all high school PTAs and shown on The Education Network (TEN). 3) Community and faith-based groups will participate in training, continue to attend the District Character Education Committee, and support the initiative.


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b) The extent to which the design for implementing and evaluating the proposed project will result in information to guide possible replication of project activities or strategies, including information about the effectiveness of the approach or strategies employed by the project. (10 points)

The ACT Project has the major components pictured below. Community and Faith–

Based Support and parent involvement are integral to all components.

This model will provide information to guide replication in both the control schools and other

high schools. The four key components of this project can be easily integrated into most high

schools and do not constitute an “add-on” that might be resisted by administrators and staffs. 1)

Many districts already have structures that allow community and faith-based organization to join

them in addressing issues of character education and ethics. 2) By the end of the project, district

staff will be in the position to deliver either in person or via vodcast (video on demand) the

Introduction to Character/Ethics session. 3) In addition, the district-created CHEERS will be

posted on the Learning Villages website for easy access. 4) A Character Education/Ethics Course

will have been created using online and face to face facilitation. New schools will be able to

measure their own success using pre and post data in the areas determined to be scientifically

sensitive to the intervention in the treatment schools during the project initiation period.

(c)The extent to which the proposed project is designed to build capacity and yield results that will extend beyond the period of Federal financial assistance.


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The project will build capacity and yield results beyond the period of Federal financial

assistance. At the end of the project, the CHEERS will be embedded into the curriculum, helping

the district to meet the legal requirement that Character Education be taught K-12. The smooth

integration of these materials into existing character education requirements and services at the

district will bolster their use. Administrators and teachers have repeatedly expressed the need for

students to improve their ethical awareness and critical thinking. Many initially-successful

initiatives wither over time due to the lack of institutional support and understanding. This will

not be a problem in this district because the Superintendent has plans to implement an ethics

initiative at the Leadership Team level. Furthermore:

1) The CHEERS, created by the trained Curriculum Team, will be integrated into the

existing curricula and inserted into Learning Village, readily available to all teachers.

2) A Staff Development Component will be developed, written and monitored by the part-

time component writer and taught by select participants of the Ethical Teams and/or

school-based teams. In order to receive points, ethical integration activities must be

taught using the extensions posted on Learning Village. In keeping with National Staff

Development Council’s criteria, the class will be results-driven, standards-based, and job-

embedded. Annual presentations will be made at the Educational Technology

Conference, attended by over 3000 teachers, by participants of the Curriculum Team

and/or school-based Teams about the project on Learning Village.

3) Character Education is supported by the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Entitlement Grant.

4) The United Way supports character education in our community and chairs a committee

to review efforts in the community to promote character education (see attached letter of


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support). Prevention Center staff members write newsletters for teachers, and articles for

employees of the county and a local city. These relationships will help sustain the project.

5) The local papers support character education in the schools. One (Sun Sentinel) highlights

students in the newspaper and provides plaques and awards to recognize students who

demonstrate character. The Palm Beach Post and Sun Sentinel both create character

education Newspaper in Education inserts.

6) Leadership Palm Beach County supports the project. (See attached letter of support).

7) Parent to Parent DVDs on Ethics, created based upon responses from the focus groups of

parents, will be available to all schools, including private schools.

2. Quality of the Management Plan (25 points)

(a)The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks. (15 points)

The ACT Project will be incorporated into existing character education efforts, which are

required by law. ACT will be conducted within the Prevention Center in the Department of Safe

Schools, which coordinates all character education efforts including the CEC, which has grown

from 4 to 120 participants from diverse community/faith-based agencies. Project staff, described

below, has extensive experience in character education and ethics ranging from three to over 10

years of experience. The evaluator has experience in evaluating other character education grants

including developing and validating instruments.

The curriculum and instructional practice that will be used or developed: Building

Decision Skills will be taught to every 9th grader in Social Studies. The 10 lessons will be

integrated into Social Studies lessons that are already in accordance with Sunshine State

Standards. Titles include: Ethics in Society: How Are We Doing, Right vs. Wrong, Analyzing


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Ethical Dilemmas, Resolving Ethical Dilemmas and Moral Courage. CHEERS will be created

by the trained Curriculum Team and integrated into Learning Village.

Methods of teacher training that will be used or developed Whole-school presentations by IGE

and project leadership will be held at the beginning of Year 1 to introduce character education

and ethical concepts, project design and expectations, benefits and characteristics of schools that

adopt character education initiatives, support of the district, existing leadership involvement, and

evaluation design. The Character Education Partnership’s (CEP) 11 Principles of Effective

Schools will be presented to encourage staff to examine their school’s adherence (Lickona

T.,Schaps E. & Lewis C., 2007). Teachers will be encouraged to consider participation in both

the Curriculum Team and in the future Ethical Literacy® Teams.

In the first year, the Curriculum Team will be selected from teachers from each discipline

in the project schools, K-12 Curriculum District Office, Project Leadership (character education

experts), Department of Safe School drug/violence prevention staff, and the conflict resolution

expert. IGE will provide one-day training on ethics to the team including how to integrate it into

existing curriculum. Substitutes will be paid for the teachers to attend. The teams will meet

monthly after school to create and integrate the lessons. With ongoing consultation by phone and

on-site, the CHEERS will be created by the Curriculum Team. The Department of Educational

Technology will provide training and oversight to help the Curriculum Team place the

extensions onto Learning Village. A 60 point online staff development course (“component”)

will be developed, marketed and monitored by project staff.

Years 2-4: The Ethical Literacy® Initiative will be conducted at each school. Facilitators

from IGE will assist the treatment schools in a multi-phased approach to incorporating character

education and ethics into the school culture at all levels, including content activities (curriculum


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designed by staff and delivered to students) and process activities (viewing all interactions

between community members through the lens of ethics.) Feedback from pre-post surveys and

focus groups will inform the schools of their progress as well as identify areas that need

continued improvement. School-based teams will be developed including school leadership,

staff, parents, and students who will spearhead the Ethical Literacy® Initiative with training,

technical assistance and support. It is anticipated that character and ethics will be found to

influence every part of school life, including the decision-making process, consistency and

communication in practice, and the quality of relationships among all stakeholder groups.

Methods of parent education that will be used or developed: Parent focus groups will be held at

each school to ascertain their concerns regarding ethics and the teaching and integration of ethics

into the school day. In order to address these concerns, four Parent to Parent 30 minute T.V.

shows will be developed for the parents of the students at the treatment schools. DVD's will be

made for schools to show during Parent nights/Parent Teacher Organization nights, etc. All

parents will be informed through the school’s Edline (online communication with parents) about

the project and invited to participate in the Ethical Literacy Teams.

How the program will be linked to other efforts to improve academic achievement and State

academic content standards: The ability to exercise and express critical thinking is key to

success in gaining the maximum amount of points on the Reading section of the Florida FCAT

and demonstrates learning gains in Reading. Learning to apply ethical reasoning to problematic

situations, and to predict and articulate the consequences of character-driven decisions, will

allow students to do a more thorough job in Reading, thus allowing direct improvement on

academic achievement and school grades.


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Indirect improvement can be predicted by virtue of the connection of character/ethics education

with reduced risk-taking behavior that could jeopardize student achievement. In a 2000 study

conducted with 145 prisoners in North Carolina, following 14 lessons in ethics education (Ethics

and Choices by IGE), a statistically-significant improvement in the areas of empathy, socio-

centric versus egocentric responses, and confidence in one’s ability to do the right thing was

noted. It is anticipated that an improvement in critical thinking and perspective-taking will allow

students to avoid high-risk behaviors like disobedience/insubordination and lying.

TIMELINE: Tasks By Whom Time Frame Milestone/Evidence Inform high schools about the project; create a pool of interested high schools

Superin-tendent

Spring 2009 Principal’s Leadership Meeting

Randomly select control and treatment schools from the pool of interested high schools

Evaluator July 2009 List of control and treatment schools is assembled

Hire on-site Project Manager, Coordinator and Assistant

Project Director (PD)

July 2009 Staff hired and trained

Contract with IGE for services Project Manager (PM)

July-August 2009

Contract approved by the School Board

Contract with evaluators PD, PM, Project Coordinator (PC)

July- August 2009

Contract approved by the Board

Develop/select evaluation instruments

Evaluator August 2009 Evaluation tools are identified

Implement evaluation design Evaluator August 2009 and on-going

Baseline data is accumulated

Collect pre-data Evaluator Aug- Dec 2009 Baseline data is accumulated

Gain input from community agents regarding project goals

PD, PM, PC August 2009 Meeting sign-in sheet

Staff development component written

PD, PM, PC August 2009 Component generated

Trainers from IGE conduct intro sessions for treatment schools

Paula Mirk August 2009 Sign-in sheets

Curriculum Team recruited PD, PM, PC August-October 2009

List of members is generated


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Building Decision Skills is initiated in Gr. 9 S.S. classes

Teachers August- May 2009

Lesson plans

Curriculum Team receives ethics training

Paula Mirk October 2009 Attendance logs

Curriculum Team develop and submit lessons

Curriculum team/PM

October – May 2009

Lessons are produced

Curriculum Team receive mid-term and end-of-year coaching

Paula Mirk January 2010 and May 2010

Sign-in sheets and modified lessons

Focus groups held for parents to use to create parent DVDs

PD, PM, PC, Evaluator

October 2009-June 2010

Years 1-4: Consultation with faith-based and community supporters

PM, PC, Character Educ. Comm.

July 2110 - June 2012

Agendas, Attendance logs

Years 1-4: Ongoing nomination of student recognition events

Teachers 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

Nomination reports

Years 1-4: : Ongoing school representation at annual Character Education Preschool Conference

School representatives

August 2009,2010, 2012,2013

Attendance records

Years 1-4: Creation of and consultation with Evaluation Advisory Council

Evaluator, PM

October 2009, Semi-annually-May 2013

List of members, agendas, recommendations

Years 1-4: Focus groups for qualitative evaluations

Evaluator, PM, PC

October 2009, Semi-annually-May 2013

Recommendations, qualitative analysis

Tears 1-4 On-lien course developed, written, monitored

PM, PC, Component writer

July 2101-June 2012

Component written, offered annually

Year 2: Ethical Literacy® Teams developed

PD, PM, PC Paula Mirk

May 2010 List of participants generated

Ethical Literacy® Teams trained

Paula Mirk August 2010 Training documented

School representatives attend CEC Meetings attended by faith-based and community groups

PD, PM, PC On-going, monthly

Sign-in sheets

9 CHEERS lessons inserted in Gr. 10 – 12 curriculum

Teachers August 2010 – May 2011

Lesson Plans

Ethical Literacy® teams facilitate on-campus activities

School Teams

Sept. 2010-May 2011

Meeting notes

New CHEERS lessons initiated Teachers/ Curriculum Team

Sept. 2010 – May 2011

New lessons added to expanding repertoire


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Selected staff attend conferences as required in grant

PD, PM On demand Attendance records will be filed

Fidelity monitored by evaluator Evaluator Ongoing Field notes logged Year 2 and 3 4 DVDs created for parents

PM, PC, TEN

August 2010- June 2012

DVDs created, distributed, broadcast on TEN

Year 3: New staff receive instruction

Ethical Literacy® Teams

August 2011 Meeting sign-in sheets, agenda

9th grade students receive Building Decision Skills, Gr. 10 – 12 receive CHEERS

Teachers August 2011- March 2012

Lesson Plans

Ethical Literacy® (EL) Teams facilitate character/ethics discussions

EL Teams Professional Development Days, 2011, 2012, 2013

Agendas

Year 4: New teachers trained E.L. Teams August 2012 Sign-in sheets Building Decision Skills and CHEERs lessons taught

Teachers August 2012-March 2013

Lesson Plans

Ethical Literacy Teams facilitate character/ethics discussions

E.L. teams August 2013- March 2013

Agendas

Post-evaluation data collection begins

Evaluator April 2013 Data from focus groups and surveys

Plans are made to expand project into control and other schools

All parties April – June 2013

Written plan for expansion

Training vodcast created PD, PM, PC I.L. Teams

January – May 2013

Vodcast created

Public relations campaign begins to inform schools about project and CHEERS

PD, PM, PC April 2013 Announcements are made via email, live meetings

End of year reports submitted Evaluator 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

Reports submitted

Final Report completed Evaluator July 2013 Final report submitted (b) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of disciplinary and professional fields, students including students with disabilities (mental and physical) or others as appropriate. (10 points)

In order to ensure that a diverse perspective from parents, teachers, and community

members are involved in the character education efforts (Likona, T., Shaps, E.& Lewis C.,

2003), the CEC, chaired by the Prevention Center, will serve as an Advisory Board. The


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Prevention Center is an integral part of numerous committees, councils and initiatives that will

be informed of the project, will support the project, and will provide a variety of perspectives.

The CEC adopted the motto, “Character Counts in Palm Beach County,” a logo, and the

six character pillars: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Fairness and Citizenship.

The district is a coalition member of the Josephson Institute of Ethics. The committee, which

offers positive role models, helped create a literature review panel, adopted elementary school

mascots that represent the pillars, and supports implementation of the character education

process in all schools. The CEC meets monthly with over 120 racially and ethnically diverse

participants from schools, community, faith-based, and business organizations that serve the

schools. These include representatives from the United Way’s Character Council, parents, local

newspapers, private school representatives, and business representatives. A list of community/

district participants is in the Appendices. (Each of the 165 schools also has a Character Contact

who is invited to attend). The project engages faith-based and community organizations in the

planning and development of the character education programs and the delivery of services

under this program (INVITATIONAL PRIORITY). The United Way is a partner in the district’s

character education efforts and chairs the Character Education Council. The new Public Ethics

Academy will be invited to collaborate with the ACT project. Leadership Palm Beach County,

which includes a highly diverse group of leaders from all areas of the community, supports the

project. Their Ethics Initiative’s mission is to “foster and sustain a culture of ethics in Palm

Beach County.” Dr. Christy, the Project Manager, is a member of this influential group. Letters

of support are in the Appendices. Several faith-based groups participate in the CEC and provide

character related services to the schools, including Dominion Ministries and Vintage Worship


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Gathering. A Safe and Drug-Free Schools (SDFS) representative attends every Private School

Advisory Council for collaboration and consultation on grant opportunities.

The Prevention Center, funded in part by Entitlement Grant, is well integrated into the

work of other district departments. Its Advisory Council includes members of the Exceptional

Student Services Department as well as community groups, school representatives, parents, and

community representatives. A list is in the Appendix. Their collaboration will be sought and their

perspectives considered in the planning and implementation of this project. A representative will

serve on the Curriculum Team. Legally and/or district-mandated initiatives fall within the

Prevention Center’s responsibility, such as Character Education and School Based Teams, which

provide required student assistance and are the mechanism for Response to Intervention (RtI).

The development and monitoring of cooperative agreements with over 29 agencies that provide

behavioral health services on school campuses also fall within the responsibilities of the

Prevention Center.

All character education initiatives and efforts are supported by the School Board. The

Superintendent presents the character awards to students who are nominated for the Year End

Character Awards. Students are recognized monthly in a local newspaper’s incentive program.

Another local newspaper, along with United Way of Palm Beach County, sponsors an annual

Character Counts business breakfast or luncheon, which has continued to grow each year, with

prominent business and community leaders in attendance.

Because the project will be integrated into all Social Studies classes, all students,

including those with disabilities, will be served. Demographic data for district high schools

show:

White Black Hispanic Free/Reduced Lunch

ESE LEP

43% 29% 21% 33% 13% 6%


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3. QUALITY OF PROJECT PERSONNEL (15 POINTS) (a) The extent to which the applicant encourages applications for employment from persons who are

members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age or disability. (10 points)

The schools and personnel reflect the diversity of South Florida lifestyle. The District’s

Prevention Center has a wealth of talented minority employees, as well as a diverse age group.

The district actively encourages qualified applicants of all ethnic groups and both sexes to seek

employment opportunities. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy 6Gx50-

3.05: “The board is committed to the principle of fostering diversity in order to enrich the

educational experiences of all students through exposure to adults from many backgrounds…”

The Project Manager, Dione Christy, Ph.D., who has been the Project Coordinator for

Efficacy, is an African-American woman. Major efforts will be made to encourage minority

applicants to apply for any advertised positions. Recruitment will include the following:

discussion with schools that serve minority populations, which have more minority teachers;

assistance and recruitment from the Multicultural Department, which includes 48 multicultural

guidance counselors and works with many multicultural agencies; referrals from staff members;

encouragement of minority staff currently working in the Department of Safe Schools; and

announcements to community agencies. In addition, recruitment advertisement will run in local

newspapers and minority faith-based publications with a direct line encouraging minorities to

apply. A diverse selection committee will interview and recommend the hiring of applicants.

(b) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of key project personnel.

The Department of Safe Schools has managed over $80 million in local, state and federal

grants. Relevant Grant Experience is attached. Key personnel leaders share national recognition

and experience in training, program development, evaluation, and school reform.


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Title Training/Experience/Education Alison Adler, Ed.D., Chief, Safety and Learning Environment, 0 FTE

(No funding requested) Expert, 30+ years experience in prevention and education. Nationally renowned leader in SDFS and school reform. Developed Single School Culture model. Supervises Kim Williams, Project Director.

Kim Williams, M.S., Project Director, Assistant Director in the Prevention Center (PC) in the Department of Safe Schools .15 FTE

(No funding requested) Character Ed expert, 15+ years. Florida SDFS Advisory chair for 4 years. PC Manager 8 years. CEC Chair 5 years. Many strategies placed in schools are due to her leadership. She presents Character Education throughout the district and the state. Will supervise Project Coordinator.

Dione S. Christy, Ph.D., Project Manager 1.0 FTE

(Funding requested) 3+ years of experience in supervision and management with instructional materials, curriculum implementation and professional development; Project Coordinator, Efficacy: Step Up For Proficiency for Academics and Character Initiative in the Department of Safe Schools; 2002 Dwyer Award Winner for Excellence in Education; 14+ years experience with Early Intervention School Programs and Community At-Risk Youth Programs. Efficacy certified trainer.

Susan Knight, B.S., Project Coordinator (1.0 FTE)

(Funding requested) Has extensive experience in character education efforts; writes character education newsletters; participates in student recognition events; provides on-site training for schools and community partners, etc.

Project Evaluation Team led by John Enger, Ph.D, 10% of grant per year

(Funding requested) Lead evaluator has experience in evaluating other character education grants in districts of similar size and demographics, including developing and validating instruments, and 21 years in educational research and program. External evaluation team from Nova Southeastern University. To manage the evaluation, a team of experienced evaluators will include Candace Lacey, Ph.D., who has over 22 years of experience evaluating local, state, and national grants.

Paula Mirk, M.Ed., Vice President of the Institute for Global Ethics Education Department

Education Director of the Institute for Global Ethics since 1996. Interests revolve around global education and the development of ethics in young people. Spearheaded the Schools of Integrity project and authored Tell Me What You Really Think. Her articles on ethical literacy have appeared in educational journals in the U.S. and Canada. Mirk oversees the education department's many projects -- collaborating with national and international organizations to integrate ethical literacy into classroom practice, extra-curricular opportunities, school culture and systemic reform. She has been a member of CETAC.

Project Assistant 1.0 FTE (Funding requested) To be selected: AA Degree and experience in record keeping, typing, filing, documentation, managing budgets, databases, materials, and communications.

On-line Curriculum Writer (.6 FTE)

(Funding requested To be selected: BS degree, experience in on-line training development and education


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4. QUALITY OF THE PROJECT EVALUATION (30 points) a) Use of objective performance measures are clearly related to the intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative data. The evaluation of the proposed project will be based on a pre/post treatment research

design with randomly selected project high schools assigned as treatment and control schools

from the pool of schools that express interest in the project. To answer the questions related to

the project goals and assess outcomes, both quantitative and qualitative data will be collected

using parallel or simultaneous methodologies (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 1998). This design was

selected because it offers the most powerful evaluation of the project, addressing concerns about

validity and reliability and thus the transferability of the findings to other settings.

The quantitative methodology provides the primary data for assessing outcomes related

to the project goals. Both pre-test and post-test data for project participants will provide

documentation of change in the measures of behavior related to the purpose and goals of the

project. Data will come from (1) survey, activity log, and interview instruments developed

especially for the project, (2) district data files on student behavior and academic performance in

reading and mathematics related to the GPRA indicators, and (3) the district annual stakeholder

survey. A search will be conducted to identify appropriate instrumentation for this study using

resources such as: DeRoche’s (2004) “Evaluating Character Development: 51 Tools for

Measuring Success” and Bulach’s (2002) “Implementing a Character Education Curriculum and

Assessing Its Impact on Student Behavior.” Regarding the instrumentation, of particular note is a

character education student survey successfully used by a neighboring district (Broward County)

that will be modified to reflect the specific goals of this project. Instruments selected for the

study will possess high degrees of validity and reliability and will have been used over time to

measure the outcomes linked to project goals.


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To measure program effectiveness with respect to interval scale data acquired through

responses to scaled items on participant surveys and disciplinary referrals, pre and post measures

will be contrasted using the two-mean hypothesis test, with significance level set at α = .05. For

any significant difference noted, the effect size will be calculated and used to interpret the

practical significance of the difference. Effect size, as promoted by Thompson (2006), will be

used to denote whether a significant difference represents a small, medium, or large effect.

Contrasts between treatment and control groups will also be made using chi-square and repeated

measures analysis. Again, effect size will be calculated for any observed significant difference.

Quantitative data will be analyzed using SPSS.

Qualitative methodology provides additional data on outcomes while adding depth and

breadth to the evaluation that enhances the transferability of findings (Seale, 1999). The

qualitative methods of interviews, focus groups, observations, and document analysis will serve

as data sources for obtaining participants’ perceptions of the project. The qualitative design

employed in this evaluation uses triangulation of data sources, collection, and analysis

procedures to provide validity (Silverman, 1993, 2000; Tashakkori & Teddlie, 1998). Reliability

of the qualitative data will be addressed using standard procedures in the field, such as defining

the reporting of methods, the evaluative model that guides the study, and using multiple

evaluators (Seale, 1999). Qualitative data will be analyzed using the N6 qualitative software

analysis program.

The evaluative model selected for this study is the context, input, process, and product

(CIPP) evaluation model (Stufflebeam, 1971; Fitzpatrick, Sanders, & Worthen, 2004) with an

added component of sustainability. Also, elements of a responsive evaluation model (Stake, 1972


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as cited in Fitzpatrick et al.; Owen & Rogers, 1999) will be employed to ensure communication

is maintained between the evaluators and stakeholders.

Context refers to climate or culture in which the program is delivered. With respect to

this project, the context evaluation is the needs assessment for this intervention that has been

developed and presented in this application. Throughout the introduction, numerous examples

and references were cited documenting both (1) current status of the community and schools in

regard to student behavior, and (2) the need for this character education and ethics intervention

into high school classrooms.

To document the context for this project, baseline data will be collected on program

attributes for the schools, teachers, and students at both treatment and control schools. Proposed

measures to be used include: teachers character education efficacy belief using the Character

Education Teacher Education Efficacy Belief Instrument (Milson, 2002), teacher classroom

practices related to character education, student critical behavior incidents, student decision

making using the Decision Making Inventory (Coscarelli, Johnson, & Johnson, 1986),

assessment related to the Life Skills standards, teachers, students, and parents’ attitudes and

feelings regarding school climate using the School Effectiveness Questionnaire. (This instrument

allows for triangulation of information across the three stakeholder groups.)

Input evaluation addresses the plan and materials developed to meet the project goals,

and the allocation of resources and personnel to administer the plan. Since program materials

will be developed by subject area for integration into classroom instruction, committees will be

formed (including an Evaluation Advisory Committee) to represent the various stakeholder

groups. These committees will assess the content and feasibility of the respective program plans

and materials. Instrumentation will be developed to generate input from these reviews to


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facilitate program modification and adoption. In addition, focus groups and interviews will be

conducted with members from each of the committees.

Input evaluation addresses the question: “Are the resources and planning adequate for

successful implementation of the project?” It will be through activity logs, interviews, and

document review that input evaluation of this project will be conducted and reported. What’s

more, as a part of the formative evaluation, this input evaluation can identify weaknesses and

concerns early so the program can be modified to more adequately meet the goals of the project.

Process evaluation will focus on implementation of the project with emphasis on fidelity

of implementation throughout the program. This evaluation will focus on the training, integration

of character education into lesson plans, and the actual teaching of these core character traits. Is

the training carried out as planned and conducted with the appropriate personnel? Is the material

covered effectively? Do program participants attend the sessions? The answers to these questions

will be gathered through attendance lists, meeting logs, and surveys. Along with their responses

to scaled questionnaire items assessing the various aspects of the session, participants will be

queried as to program strengths and recommendations will be solicited for program modification.

Another focus of the evaluation surrounding implementation of the program will address

the integration of the ethics lessons into the classroom. The two aspects of this portion of the

evaluation involve, first, the teachers’ integration of the ethics components into their lesson

plans, and second, that these lessons are actually taught. Instrumentation (observation rubrics,

lesson plan review protocols) will be developed and teachers will be contacted regarding the

extent to which these actions have occurred and for their assessments on what works well and

what does not work.

Process evaluation addresses the question: “Is the program being implemented as

planned?” Again, through activity logs, interviews, and document review the process evaluation


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of this project will be conducted and reported. As part of the formative evaluation, this process

evaluation can identify aspects of the program that may not working as planned so the program

can be modified to more adequately meet the goals of the project.

Product (or outcomes) evaluation will address the extent to which the program has met

the project goals. The baseline data will be collected prior to program intervention and serve as

the pre-assessment. Each year of implementation will be concluded with subsequent data

collection and will serve as post-assessment. These outcomes will be contrasted year by year to

measure the change and to determine to what extent the project goals are being met.

At program completion, along with re-gathering updated baseline data, project

stakeholders (teachers, students, parents, administrators, and project personnel) will be surveyed

about all aspects of the program. The analysis of this data will determine the extent to which the

project has met the stated goals.

Sustainability is the final component of the model. It not only relates to the project’s

ability to continue after funding ends but also addresses replication and dissemination. A

sustainability plan will be developed to provide documentation for future implementation in

these sites, throughout the district, and for dissemination to other schools districts interested in

this program to infuse character education and ethics throughout the curriculum.

b) Methods of evaluation will provide performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward achieving intended outcomes.

The district is committed to using the grant evaluation findings to inform district policy

and procedures. To this end, a project Evaluation Advisory Committee will be created. The

Committee will be composed of representatives from project stakeholder groups. The evaluators

will meet with the project’s Evaluation Advisory Committee to insure that critical information is

disseminated in a timely manner. These meetings will report on findings and recommendations

that will allow the project staff the opportunity to be proactive and make necessary


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enhancements to insure program success. Formative evaluations, in addition to these meetings,

will be provided during the implementation years of the program and a summative evaluation

will be provided at the end.

c) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other settings. The formative evaluation of this project will provide information on the development of

the program, the training of teachers, and implementation into the classroom. The formative

evaluation will document strengths and challenges of the program as initially developed and the

modifications made to overcome identified short-comings.

A summative evaluation will be submitted at the end of each program year. These

comprehensive end-of-year reports will document and summarize program completions and

implementations to date. This documentation enhances dissemination to other settings by

documenting what works and the extent to which this program has affected positive outcomes as

reflected in success in meeting project goals and unintended outcomes. Throughout the project,

information will be regularly collected from program participants regarding the applicability of

this program to other settings and their recommendations.

With the background and development reflected in the formative evaluation, the evidence

of program outcomes reflected in the summative evaluation, and the development and

modification of program materials to reflect best practices, the proposed project will be a viable

commodity for sustainability in Palm Beach County Public Schools and for replication and

dissemination to other settings. Finally, because this project supports the development of

multiple curricula (aligned to the state standards) it will be available, via the Internet, to teachers

in Florida and across the nation.

Documents

Character Education and Ethics: Applied Critical Thinking ... March 18, 2009 School... · Character Education and Ethics: Applied Critical Thinking (ACT) School Board of Palm Beach