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An educational program can reasonably be considered a “promising” or “proven” program if sufficient research has been conducted that meets certain well-established criteria.
What are these criteria? In the ground-breaking study, A Report to the Nation…Smart & Good High Schools: Integrating Excellence and Ethics for Success in School, Work, and Beyond ( CLICK HERE for a PDF of the full report), the broad criteria by which a practice would be considered “promising” are as follows: 1) Empirical Evidence, 2) Relevance and Face Validity, and 3) The Testimony of Credible Sources.
Within these three broad categories are listed examples of sub-criteria that can be used to demonstrate that a program is “promising”. The information in the following table is derived from the Smart and Good High Schools report (Lickona & Davidson 2005).
The manner in which The Flippen Group programs such as Capturing Kids’ Hearts and Teen Leadership meet the Criteria for Promising Practices* is given below for each sub-criteria.
CRITERIA FOR PROMISING PRACTICES*
1. Empirical Evidence
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- Experimental validation. Experimental research has shown the educational practice to be effective; students who experience this practice are superior on some measure(s) of performance character or moral character compared to those who do not experience the practice. (A research article documenting the effectiveness of Teen Leadership was published in a peer-reviewed journal: Sherwood, R. (2003). It all began with a handshake, Effective Schools Project Journal, 9: 6-11. To view an online copy, CLICK HERE for a PDF of the full research article. The Flippen Group is in the process of developing additional research using experimental and quasi-experimental study designs.)
- Pre-post differences. Students show improvement on some character measure(s) after experiencing the practice, although there is no comparison group. (The Flippen Group submitted a report to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) documenting TEA 8 Case Studies that uses a “pre-post difference” study design and that demonstrates that students show improvement on character measures.)
- Experimental support from other developmental levels. (See first bullet point above…The Flippen Group is in the process of developing additional research using experimental and quasi-experimental study designs.)
- Support from correlational research. Research finds a positive association between students’ experience of the practice and some desirable character outcome. (See TEA 8 Case Studies.)
- Link to a mediating variable. The practice fosters a variable, such as a sense of community, which has been shown to mediate positive character outcomes. (Knowledge and skills acquired using The Flippen Group trainings foster “school connectedness” which has been shown by the findings from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health to lower risk in all negative adolescent behavior categories:
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2. Relevance and Face Validity |
- Relevance to important adolescent outcomes and face validity. The practice is relevant to one or more …developmental outcomes (e.g., diligent and capable performer, respectful and responsible moral agent, democratic citizen)…and also has face validity, based on…direct observation of the practice. [Practices may be judged] to have face validity, for example, if they demonstrate strong potential to stimulate students’ thinking, engage them in striving for excellence, motivate them to moral action, and so on. (The Flippen Group processes address relevant adolescent outcomes, many of which are listed in the 40 Developmental Assets.)
- Relevance to important school outcomes and face validity. The practice is relevant to important school outcomes (e.g., improved academic performance and graduation rates and reduction of bullying, discipline problems, and sexual activity) and has face validity. (The Flippen Group processes address the key variables that affect school outcomes [RESEARCH SUMMARY: Leadership and Academic Achievement] and the impact of our training on school outcomes has been documented in TEA 8 Case Studies.
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3. The Testimony of Credible Sources (usually used in combination with other criteria) |
- External recognition. The practice or program has received an award for excellence from a credible educational organization (e.g., National School of Character Award, U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Schools Award, National Service Learning Award). (Schools implementing The Flippen Group have received local, state and national recognition, most recently, the National School of Character Award.
- Practitioner testimony. Teachers, school leaders, or other practitioners testify to the effectiveness of the practice, based on their experience with it. (See testimonials in TEA 8 Case Studies.)
- Testimony of students. Students say this practice has positively impacted their performance character and/or moral character (See testimonials in TEA 8 Case Studies and survey responses in Summary of Dissertation Research and Case Studies.)
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REFERENCES
Lickona, T., and Davidson, M. (2005). Smart & Good High Schools: Integrating excellence and ethics for success in school, work, and beyond (pg. xxiv), Cortland, N.Y.: Center for the 4th and 5th Rs (Respect & Responsibility)/Washington, D.C.: Character Education Partnership. |
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For research on our revolutionary process, the Flippen Reading Connection, click on the link below: |
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"The 40 developmental assets is the theory, and Capturing Kids' Hearts is the how-to in the classroom."
Cami Berry
Riverside County Project Director
Safe Schools Unit
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“Our school has improved in so many ways. We see increas-ed student attendance (from 84% in 2004 to just shy of 95% for the 2005-06 school year.) We see vastly improv-ed staff attendance, too. We have a com-munity outreach which includes toy collection, food delivery, reading and tutoring, and neighborhood clean-up. For the first time in a long time we are plac- ing well in interschol- astic competitions – athletic and academic. On the state standard- ized tests, which are the objects under the NCLB microscope, we as a district improved more than any other district in the state and Goodwin Tech improved more than any other Tech school.”
Steve Goodwin
CT Technical School
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"Last year during first semester, teachers wrote almost 2,000 discipline referrals. This year, that number is right above 500, which is almost a 75% reduction. This is an incredible feat that I still marvel at. I be-lieve that the Capturing Kids’ Hearts training is having a school-wide effect on our campus that is undeniable."
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Dr. Jon R. Prince
Principal
Palm Beach Gardens High School
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