Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Character Education Program in a Single-Sex, Urban Charter High School: Learning from Teacher and Student Perceptions of Its Implementation.

Students who are taught the Illinois State Board of Education’s social and emotional learning standards are granted skills that help them make positive contributions to society. Well-rounded individuals have acquired abilities that allow them to make sound decisions, interact with others, and develop self-awareness skills. Adept individuals who have the skills to teach students strategies that help them to develop an emotional intelligence should implement character education programs using evidence-based strategies. Students who attended a single-sex charter school in an urban area participated in a program evaluation to determine if it was being implemented with fidelity. Students and program implementers completed surveys and participated in focus groups. Focus group participants were chosen using random assignment. An open coding method and grouping the data into themes were used to analyze the qualitative data. Using percentages, quantitative data was streamlined into graphs. I used the Character Education Program evaluation to determine that the program was not implemented as designed, there was a lack of staff and student buy-in, and that teachers lacked essential capacities required for execution. These findings could assist schools in developing and implementing high-quality character education programs. Executing character education programs in schools across the country will help accelerate social change, as members of society will be competent, capable of making sound decisions, and managing adversity. PREFACE I am passionate about social and emotional learning because I have spent my career as an educator infusing it into my instructional and school social work practices. My life has been dedicated to educating students with special needs and disadvantaged youth from urban areas. I grew up in an urban area and attended elementary and high schools in the City of Chicago. I observed the impact social and emotional issues had on the academic success of many peers. Unfortunately, several peers who graduated from 8 grade with me did not complete high school. Some ended up in the penal system, while others dropped out of high school because of unplanned pregnancies, family issues, and gang violence. When I started working as a director of specialized services at a charter school in an urban area, I realized that the Character Education Program was not being leveraged as outlined in the school’s program manual. The time spent in the class was not being used to teach skills and strategies that our students needed to navigate society. I worked as a teacher and school social worker for many years and I believe that schools should help students learn how to make sound decisions, become self-aware, and how to deal with traumatic experiences. I believed that it was possible to implement these practices because of my previous experiences and research. Children are reporting to school with a myriad of family problems, self-esteem issues, and other tribulations that interfere with their ability to focus on their education. If we want students to reach their full potential, then we must embed character education programs into the school’s culture and climate. All students should be taught the social and emotional learning standards and educated about the non-cognitive variables that have a huge impact on adult outcomes. My research will be used to advocate for school social work support and the implementation of social and emotional learning standards in all schools in America. All students deserve an opportunity to thrive, persist, and have a positive impact on the world.