Introduction to Children's Success Academy
Programs
Children's Success Academy
(CSA) was established as an Arizona public charter school in 2000. The
overall program is designed to assist all children, especially behaviorally
challenging children, to develop their intrinsic gifts in a nurturing,
positive and supportive environment. The combination of the use of a
language of virtues [The Virtues Project], a positive behavior program [The
Nurtured Heart Approach], a nutritional program [The Nurtured Body Program]
and a values based, global and service-oriented curriculum [Nurtured Mind –
IEI] results in our peaceful, nurturing and positive academic environment.
The integration of these components has produced a program that is highly
successful in assisting students in learning to redirect their energies into
positive academic and social experiences. This control then allows academic
learning to accelerate and high achievement to occur.
Children's Success Academy
has acquired respect and a reputation in the Tucson community for taking
students that have been expelled from other schools, and for assisting them
to acquire self-control. As a result, a number of agencies in the greater
Tucson metropolitan area recommend Children's Success Academy to students
with behavior difficulties. These agencies include regular public schools,
public charter schools and various behavioral services, as well as
individual parents, pediatricians, psychologists and psychiatrists.
EFFECTS OF PROGRAM ON
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Children's Success Academy’s
Integrated Positive Behavior Program consists of four components. These
include (1) the Virtues Project, (2) the Nurtured Heart Approach, (3) the
Nurtured Body Approach, and (4) the International Educational Initiatives
curriculum. Each component integrates fully with every other component, and
together they provide a structure that allows students to develop their
inner talents and gifts, including academic success and achievement. Each
component addresses particular growth needs. These individual components
are described in detail below. All staff members (teaching, administrative
and support) receive intensive training in each component in the weeks prior
to the beginning of the school year. Continuing in-service training is
provided during the school year. At the end of the school year, analysis is
made of progress during the past year, suggestions are made and requests for
further trainings are discussed. Plans are then consolidated for the coming
school year. This type of continuous development and adjustment to meet
unique situations results in a vibrant, viable and dynamic program, with the
very best interests of each student at its heart.
The Integrated Positive
Behavior Program produces in an atmosphere of respect, peacefulness and
joy. In such an environment, learning is exciting and fun. Although many
of the challenging students are far behind their academic expectations when
they arrive at Children's Success Academy, within one to two years, their
academic progress is greatly improved. The following sections describe the
four individual components of the Integrated Positive Behavior Program.
The Virtues Project (Positive Language)
The Virtues Project provides
the central focus of the Integrated Positive Behavior Program – it is bond
that holds it all together. The Virtues Project is a simple, character
building program that cuts across cultural and religions barriers and has
had positive effects world-wide. It was developed in Canada in 1991 by
Linda Kavelin Popov, a psychotherapist, organizational consultant and
trainer who facilitates character education. Since publication of The
Family Virtues Guide (L. Kavelin Popov, 1991), the program has been used
successfully by families, schools, corporations, religious organizations and
other agencies, including the Boys & Girls Club, on a global basis. In
2000, The Virtues Project™ Educator’s Guide (L. Kavelin Popov) was
published. This volume is in constant use by all staff at Children's Success
Academy.
The Virtues Project focuses
on the “virtues”, the best qualities within each individual person.
“Virtues: the Gifts of Character” include: assertiveness, caring,
cleanliness, commitment, compassion, confidence, consideration, cooperation,
courage, courtesy, creativity, detachment, determination, diligence,
enthusiasm, excellence, flexibility, forgiveness, friendliness, generosity,
gentleness, helpfulness, honesty, honor, humility, idealism, integrity,
joyfulness, justice, kindness, love, loyalty, moderation, modesty,
orderliness, patience, peacefulness, perseverance, purposefulness,
reliability, respect, responsibility, self-discipline, service, tact,
thankfulness, tolerance, trust, trustworthiness, truthfulness, understanding
and unity. These are qualities that are universal and necessary for
positive interactions. Our Integrated Positive Behavior Program emphasizes
learning the language of virtues and learning how to demonstrate these
virtues in daily life.
The academic week at
Children's Success Academy begins with a “Virtue of the Week”, presented at
the Monday morning all-school assembly. On Friday afternoon, classes take
turns presenting the meaning of the Virtue of the Week at the Virtues
Assembly through plays, puppet shows, songs, etc. The various virtues also
are noted during the day-to-day routine of the school, with all CSA
community members, staff and students alike, acknowledging each other for
use of specific virtues. For example, classes close each day with a Success
Circle, where students describe in detail to each other what virtues they
noticed other students practicing during that day; what virtue(s) helped
them during the day, and how it helped; what virtue(s) they need to work on,
or that would have helped during a particular situation.
The virtues are used in
every aspect of school functioning. Teachers and administrative staff are
very creative in incorporating the language of virtues, and teaching their
meanings, into every aspect of daily events. For example, administrative
staff gives Virtues Vouchers to students that name the virtue(s) observed,
and describe in detail how the student exemplified the particular virtue(s).
Students can then take these vouchers to their teacher to exchange for the
age-appropriate credit.
An example of how the
Virtues Vouchers contribute to the positive school environment is
demonstrated by an incident with a kindergarten student. He had attended
school joyfully for about three weeks. One morning, however, he and his
mother arrived in the office about 30 minutes late. The Administrative
Assistant observed that he was teary eyed, and about to cry. His mother
said that he really didn’t want to come to school that day. The
Administrative Assistant immediately said to him, “I see that you are upset
and really don’t want to be at school today. But I also see that you are
here, even though you don’t want to be. I am going to give you a Virtues
Voucher for showing responsibility and determination, because you came to
school even though you didn’t want to.” As she wrote out the Virtues
Voucher for him to take to his teacher (to exchange for the appropriate
points), his mouth began to turn up and his eyes to sparkle. “You are
really going to give me a Virtues Voucher?!!”. “Of course! You are a
very responsible student, and I appreciate your being here, even when you
don’t really want to be.” The kindergartener smiled up at his mother and
went happily to class.
The Nurtured Heart Approach
(Positive Behavior)
The Nurtured Heart
Approach is a strategic systems approach designed to turn the challenging
child around to a new pattern of success. It was developed by Howard
Glasser, the founder and director of Tucson’s Center for the Difficult Child
(CDC), in 1994. The Nurtured Heart Approach has also been found to produce
outstanding success in helping the average child flourish at
higher-than-expected levels of functioning. This component teaches
significant adults in the child’s life how to strongly energize the child’s
experiences of success while not energizing his/her experiences of loss of
self-control.
Children's Success Academy
has adapted these techniques for use in a school setting, as part of the
Integrated Positive Behavior Program. Nurtured Heart provides a structure
of rules and goals where the excitement, “loud voices” and rewards are built
around positive behaviors. There are simple consequences (time outs) for
negative behavior, with no energy involved (no lectures, yelling, etc.).
Once the time out is completed, the student has an accountability to
complete, depending on the action that resulted in the time out; he/she then
goes right back to the classroom.
An age-appropriate credit system is used in each classroom.
Students gain points (1) for not breaking rules, (2) for achieving goals and
(3) for other outstanding behaviors. These points can then be spent to do
service projects (such as working in the school garden, helping in the main
office, reading to the kindergarteners, extra reading time, etc.). At the
beginning of each year, each class consults about the basic rules and goals,
and add any others they feel would be helpful to them in the classroom for
the year. These added rules and goals can be modified as the year
progresses, depending on the evolution of the particular group of students.
The
Nurtured Body Program (Positive Nutrition)
Successful academic progress
requires nurturing not only the mind, but also the body. Another component
of the Integrated Positive Behavior Program is that of assisting students
and their families in learning and using healthy eating habits, in order to
provide a healthy body.
Diet is directly implicated
in both the prevention and the causation of disease; for example, a diet
high in processed foods that include large quantities of sugar and fat is
directly correlated with the development of insulin resistance, which in
turn leads to non-insulin dependent diabetes. On the other hand, a diet
utilizing complex carbohydrates and foods high in fiber (such as whole
grains, vegetables and certain fruits) results in decreased incidence of
cancer, diabetes and other diseases. Thus, nutritional intake is an
important determinant of overall health, and of longevity. It is therefore
of prime importance for the development and healthy growth of children to
provide optimal nutrients.
The Nurtured Body Program is geared to provide family
guidance in planning excellent nutrition for optimal growth and development
of children. People who eat relatively
simply - that is, primarily whole grains, a large quantity of raw and/or
lightly steamed vegetables, fruits, and quality proteins (such as eggs,
tofu, lean meats, legumes) - enjoy excellent health, with few illnesses.
These people are generally more resistant to infectious diseases, and rarely
are subject to chronic diseases, including asthma and other allergic
conditions. When illnesses do strike, they are generally of much less
severity and are over much more quickly than in people who eat mostly highly
processed foods, that contain large quantities of refined sugars, salts and
hydrogenated fats.
All staff at
Children's Success Academy are trained in, and use, the Nurtured Body
Program. In addition, classes are given at Children's Success Academy for
families and other interested community members on the role of nutrition in
health and the effects proper nutrition can have on behavior. Food
preparation suggestions, ideas for snacks, menus, etc., are provided; active
discussions occur and ideas are exchanged. Parents and staff are currently
collecting ideas and recipes in order to produce a cookbook to sell as a
school fundraiser.
The
Nurtured Mind (The International Educational Initiatives)
The
curriculum used as part of the Integrated Positive Behavior Program meets
and exceeds the requirements of the Arizona State Standards, and is
completely compatible with No Child Left Behind. It was chosen as the basic
curriculum structure (1) because it presents academic lessons from a global
perspective, but most importantly (2) because it uses and teaches students
consultation techniques and problem-solving skills. These skills are vital
for producing and maintaining an atmosphere of respect and cooperation in
the school community. Learning the art and skills of consultation and
problem solving provides a foundation for productive contributions by the
student, not only academically and behaviorally while at school, but for
his/her entire life.
The IEI
curriculum gives in-depth and ongoing attention to the development of global
consciousness and responsibility. It assists individuals to develop the
ability to search for knowledge, evaluate it, and decide how to put it to
use in meaningful ways. Further, it results in responsible, ethical
individuals who possess the ability to think clearly, logically, morally and
independently as participating members of a society, with the ability to
work in international situations. Students develop understanding and
appreciation of cultural, social, scientific, economic, political and
religious ideas and practices worldwide, and learn to nurture the concept of
unity in diversity.
The IEI
curriculum develops critical thinking skills and cooperative strategies that
help train students in the principles of consultation so that they will be
enabled to analyze their environment and use this knowledge to develop
solutions to the challenges they identify. Student activities are designed
to develop competent, self-directed and responsible social interaction in a
cooperative, respectful atmosphere, with a mastery of good communication and
learning skills.
The IEI
curriculum is in use at the Townsend International School in the Czech
Republic; the Ocean of Light School in Tonga (South Pacific); in Rural
Learning Centers in Malaysia; and was used at the Daystar International
School in Japan. Portions of the curriculum are in use in both remedial and
advanced learning centers in the People's Republic of China, Germany, and
Mexico. Children's Success Academy is the first school to use this
curriculum in the United States.
OVERALL SUCCESS OF
CHILDREN’S SUCCESS ACADEMY
Substantial progress in
improving student achievement
Children's Success Academy
opened its doors in temporary quarters to 30 students, Kindergarten through
4th grade, in September 2000. In January 2001, the school
relocated to its permanent site, located in a primarily Hispanic
neighborhood that has a large percentage of low income households, and is
known as a high crime area. The following year the 5th grade was
added, with an enrollment of 73. Our third year, we increased enrollment to
85. Approximately 86% of our students meet the qualifications for Title I
(free lunch). The diversity of the student population is wonderful!
Although about 75% of the students are Hispanic, most from the immediate
neighborhood, 12% are African-American, 10 % Native American, and the rest
Caucasian or mixed. Our Special Education population is 12%, primarily
Speech and Language Impairment and Specific Learning Disorder.
Parent Satisfaction
Parents have been the
backbone of our school since its inception. The diversity of our school,
ranging from Title I families to wealthy families from the elite sections of
Tucson, is one of the strengths of the school. We have a book filled with
letters from parents who are grateful for the assistance they have received
through the school – both for the academic and social improvement of their
children and for the changes that they are achieving at home by using our
program. We find it takes about a year for the nutritional program to
become fully incorporated at home, although there have been some
exceptions. Some families were able to make immediate changes in everyone’s
eating habits, not just the student attending our school.
The most profound gratitude
comes from parents of students with a long history of behavior problems,
including suspensions and expulsions from school – often from more than one
school. A few comments are shared below.
“My son has changed his
attitude towards school work and his peers tremendously. He likes to go to
school now. His attitude towards his father and at home has also changed –
and he has only attended Children's Success Academy for four weeks. Thank
you!”
“We have found that our
children love school because of the caring staff. We believe in Children's
Success Academy because of the respect and dignity they show their students
and parents. With that kind of environment, who wouldn’t want to learn!!”
“My daughter has been
attending Children's Success Academy since the 2nd Grade. The
reason I switched her is because she is a very sensitive child. At the
other school where she was attending, I always had the feeling that she was
in a military school rather than a children’s school. Emotionally she never
felt well, plus her self-esteem was down. At CSA my daughter feels safe,
understood, and her self-esteem went up. Academically she is doing
excellently. As a parent, knowing that my daughter is learning at the same
time that she has self-confidence makes me feel relief. Thank you!”
“My son was kicked out of
three other schools. You are the first school to make a difference, to see
his potential, and to quit sending him home – making him stay and be
accountable for his behavior. The difference you have made to our lives is
overwhelming. I am a single mom who felt totally unheard and that my
situation was unappreciated. You listened to me, and have helped support my
learning how to deal with my son.” |
