Operational Definitions for ShowMe Character (The CHARACTERPLUS®
Way) Staff Survey Factors [High Positive Scores]
- Students’ Feelings of Belonging [Items 1 – 5]
Staff members perceive that students are nice to each other; they get along; they
respect their teachers; they treat each other fairly and they tell the truth.
- Students’ Sense of School as a Community [Items 6 – 10]
Staff members perceive that students feel that the school is like a family; students
help each other learn and treat each other with respect; they work together to solve
problems and feel good when someone does well.
- Autonomy and Influence [Items 11 – 16]
Staff members perceive that students feel that they plan things together with their
teachers, have a say in what goes on in their classes, decide the rules together
with their teachers, help plan what they do in school, are asked by their teachers
to help decide what they are to do, and help decide rules for the school.
- Parent & Staff Relations [Items 17 – 22]
School staff members treat parents with respect, make parents feel welcome at school,
value parents’ ideas and input, encourage parents to be involved in school, communicate
effectively with parents, and care about students’ families.
- Staff Culture of Belonging [Items 23 – 29]
School staff members are supportive of one another, cooperate and help each other,
and provide good counsel when there are teaching problems, share the same beliefs
about the central mission of the school, and do not fall into conflicting cliques.
- School Leadership [Items 30 – 35]
Administrators actively support new ideas; teachers take active roles in school
activities; things are well organized; staff members are recognized for a job well
done; staff are involved in decisions that affect them; there is interest in innovation
and new ideas.
- Parent Involvement at School [Items 36 – 40]
Parents volunteer to help with school activities, attend parent-teacher conferences,
talk with teachers about their children’s progress in school, and attend school
activities.
Operational Definitions for ShowMe Character (The CHARACTERPLUS®
Way) Student Survey Factors [High Positive Scores]
- Students’ Feelings of Belonging [Items 1 – 5]
Students are nice to each other; they get along; they respect their teachers; they
treat each other fairly and they tell the truth.
- Students’ Sense of School as a Community [Items 6 – 10]
Students feel that the school is like a family; students help each other learn and
treat each other with respect; they work together to solve problems and feel good
when someone does well.
- Autonomy and Influence [Items 11 – 16]
Students feel that they plan things together with their teachers, have a say in
what goes on in their classes, decide the rules together with their teachers, help
plan what they do in school, are asked by their teachers to help decide what they
are to do, and help decide rules for the school.
- Feelings of Competence [Items 17 - 23]
Students believe that they can do the school work teachers ask of them, do not have
difficulty with their school work or figuring things out, do not worry when they
have to take a test, find school work easy to understand, and feel that teachers’
expectations are reasonable.
- School Safety [Items 24 – 29]
Students believe that teachers in this school care that they are safe; students
feel safe when at school; students do not pick on (or bully) others; students respect
school property; students feel safe going to and from school; students do not take
things that do not belong to them.
- Parent Involvement at School [Items 30 – 34]
Parents volunteer to help with school activities, attend parent-teacher conferences,
talk with teachers about their children’s progress in school, and attend school
activities.
- Parent Involvement at Home [Items 35 – 39]
Parents set study times at home, are interested in what their children are doing
at school, go over students’ homework, talk with the student about what s/he is
doing in school, and set up a place at home for their children to do homework.
Operational Definitions for ShowMe Character (The CHARACTERPLUS®
Way) Implementation Survey [High Positive Scores]
- School is a Learning Community [Items 1 – 5]
School has a safe, orderly learning environment; students are supported emotionally
and academically; parents have opportunities to experience the school as a learning
community; school leaders understand the characteristics of a program to build a
caring environment; administration, staff, and students share the core values of
the school.
- School Leadership [Items 6 – 10]
District leaders visit the school on a regular basis; school climate data are collected
from parents, students, staff, and community members; staff analyze and discuss
the implications of data collected from parents, staff, and students; budget and
other resources are provided to develop and sustain a caring school environment;
school and district leaders support implementation of a program to build positive
school climate.
- School Climate [Items 11 – 15]
Staff create partnerships with parents; students take part in setting classroom
norms and rules; student pairs work collaboratively on activities that are aligned
to the academic curriculum; students learn to work cooperatively; students feel
competent that they can achieve academic success.
- Staff Collaboration [Items 16 – 20]
Teachers collaborate on instructional planning; staff share ideas, strategies, and
successes; staff form collaborative teams; staff engage in reflection on the results
of instructional activities; teachers take a major role in shaping the school’s
norms, values, and practices.
- Application and Skills [Items 21 – 25]
Cross-age student pairs engage in interviewing, listening, speaking, and helping;
students are taught to reflect on their personal values; take-home activities relate
to academic, social, and citizenship themes that are important to the instructional
program; reflection on what has been learned from experiences of working together
is encouraged; students have a sense of democratic values.
- Ten Essentials [Items 26 – 35]
Specific character traits have been defined for the school or district; students
reflect on character traits in the education process; character education is defined
in terms of core ethical values; character traits defined for the school or district
include both thinking and feeling; district commitment for the character education
process is evidenced by high levels of continuous support; the character process
is infused throughout the school day; all school staff help carry out the school’s
character education process; the character education process is planned and proactive;
frequent communications on character education are common among school, parents,
and broader community; regular assessments are made of students, parents, and staff
to check the impact of the character education process.
Operational Definitions for ShowMe Character (The CHARACTERPLUS®
Way) Parent Survey Factors [High Positive Scores]
- Students’ Feelings of Belonging [Items 1 – 5]
Parents perceive that students are nice to each other; they get along; they respect
their teachers; they treat each other fairly and they tell the truth.
- Students’ Sense of School as a Community [Items 6 – 10]
Parents perceive that students feel that the school is like a family; students help
each other learn and treat each other with respect; they work together to solve
problems and feel good when someone does well.
- Parent & Staff Relations [Items 11 – 16]
School staff members treat parents with respect, make parents feel welcome at school,
value parents’ ideas and input, encourage parents to be involved in school, communicate
effectively with parents, and care about students’ families.
- School Quality [Items 17 – 22]
Parents believe that their children are learning how to work with and respect others,
learning to read and write, learning about science and how to do math, receiving
a well rounded education, and getting an excellent education.
- Parent Involvement at School [Items 23 – 27]
Parents volunteer to help with school activities, attend parent-teacher conferences,
talk with teachers about their children’s progress in school, and attend school
activities.
- Parent Involvement at Home [Items 28 – 32]
Parents set study times at home, are interested in what their children are doing
at school, go over student’s homework, talk with the student about what s/he is
doing in school, and set up a place at home for their children to do homework.
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