School Climate

Character Education and Project Wisdom

Research shows that morale directly impacts achievement. When teachers and students work in a positive school culture, students learn more effectively and teacher retention improves. Effective schools create a strong sense of community, which in turn fosters higher levels of student learning.

Although these articles were written some years back, they have been recently reviewed by a subject matter expert for relevancy and are as important today as ever before. The bottom line? The focused and intentional development of character, as well as social and emotional development, produces outstanding results, transforming individual lives as well as entire campuses.

• "Smart and Good Schools - A Paradigm Shift for Character Education," by Matthew Davidson, Thomas Lickona, and Vladimir Khmelkov, November 2007, Education Week.
  
  "Throughout history and in cultures around the world, education rightly conceived has had two great goals: helping students become smart and helping them become good. They need character for both."


• "Character Education on the Cheap," by Peter R. Greer, November 2007, Education Week.
  
  "Schools have a primary duty to educate students on what good character means and how to develop it . . . . Schools serious about helping students form good character rely heavily on the Character Education Partnership’s '11 Principles.'"

How Project Wisdom Impacts School Climate

"Overall students have a better attitude toward school and enjoy being here. Academics obviously follow." Michael, Elementary Principal, Pennsylvania

Both students and teachers perform better in a positive school climate. Key findings taken from our third-party evaluation of Project Wisdom include:

• The program affects the school climate in a positive way.
  95% of those surveyed agreed.
• The program has a positive impact on the morale of teachers.
  92% of those surveyed agreed.
• The program helps decrease student teasing and/or bullying.
  78% of those surveyed agreed.

"I have now used this program in two different school districts and can see a difference in the climate of our school." Daniel, High School Assistant Principal, Utah

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