Esteem Team members serve as role models for elementary school students and provide current, accurate information regarding substance abuse and positive behavior through monthly programs geared toward avoiding drug use, sexual activity and gang participation. Esteem Team members do more than model good behavior -they lead activities. Esteem Team also supports the secondary schools with initiatives including the Red Ribbon Campaign. Prom Promise and WalkSoberFest. This 2000 Promising Practice features student-led conferences and electronic performance portfolios.
Students select the artifacts for both the conference and the portfolio.
Their choices reflect their own vision of success as a student and must be accompanied by reflective writings that express that vision. Technology is the linchpin of the program. All work for the portfolio is stored electronically and is presented in a multimedia format. Teachers have made significant changes in instructional style to create lessons that students want to include in their portfolios. Students learn technology skills not taught before at this level that will serve them well in the future, parents receive more information about their children and future teachers have a ready reference about individual student abilities.