Kentucky Department of Education | Jefferson County Public Schools

Kentucky Department of Education Abstract

Contact: Angela Wilkins
Kentucky Department of Education
826 CPT, 500 Mero Street
Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 564–3678
awilkins@kde.state.ky.us

Kentucky Character Education Program

Application Number: R215V970002
Project Period: 1/1/97-12/31/01
FY 1997 Award: $250,000
FY 1998 Award: $250,000
FY 1999 Award: $250,000
FY 2000 Award: $250,000

The Kentucky Character Education Program (KCEP), a partnership between the Kentucky Department of Education and the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, will develop and implement a model character education program in elementary, middle, and high schools. Demonstration sites are developed through intensive, on-site professional development. In contrast, Pilot sites are developed using a trainer-of-trainers model.

The KCEP model design incorporates four basic principles:

• Character education should be embedded in daily instruction during the entire teaching day and should involve the entire school community;
• Character education is both the product of planned instructional activities and the intentional focus of the entire school;
• Character education is an integral part of the beliefs and attitudes of the school community and should be reflected in their behavior toward others; and
• Character education should address the specific needs and issues of the school community.

The KCEP model includes peer mediation and resiliency, promoting such skills and competencies as: social competence, self-discipline, empathy, anger management, communication, respect, responsibility, and problem solving. Students apply the skills throughout the school and the community in cooperative learning and team building activities, service learning, school-to-career opportunities, and community service.

The skills developed through KCEP reinforce the 10 character traits identified in the Kentucky Department of Education’s Character Education: Teaching Strategies document (i.e., caring, civic virtue and citizenship, justice and fairness, respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, courtesy, human worth, knowledge, and self-discipline).

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Jefferson County Public Schools Abstract

Contact: Lue Dena Peabody
VanHoose Education Center
P.O. Box 34020
Louisville, KY 40232
(502) 485-3240
Lpeabod1@jefferson.k12.ky.us

Project CARE - Character Actualization Requires Education

Grant Number: R215S020169
Project Period: 10/1/02 - 9/30/06
FY 2002 Award: $482,484
FY 2003 Award: $482,425
FY 2004 Award: $395,028
FY 2005 Award: $357,365

Project CARE will use components of the Child Development Project (CDP) to implement a character education program for more than 3,500 students at eight Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) elementary schools. The students represent a cross-section of all JCPS students-Title I, non-Title I, minority, ESL, high achieving and low achieving. The four-year CARE program will strive to achieve the following outcomes.

1. The staff of eight CARE schools and 38 District elementary resource teachers will participate annually in CDP staff development and implement the CDP program as measured by principal feedback, informal walk-throughs, teacher feedback, and resource teacher feedback.

2. The YMCA Child Care Enrichment Programs serving the CARE schools will implement the after-school KidzLit and KidzMath programs as reported by the site director.

3. At the end of the CARE program all students from the targeted schools will have an understanding of core character values, particularly respect, responsibility, caring, and helpfulness, as measured by teacher observation, student survey, and student reflection.

4. Each year all classrooms from the CARE schools will implement strategies to build classroom community as measured by principal feedback, informal walk-through, teacher feedback, and resource teacher feedback.

5. Each year all students from the CARE schools will participate in activities centered on acting on the core values, particularly respect, responsibility, caring, and helpfulness, as measured by program implementation, and school climate will improve as measured by teacher, student and parent surveys; reduction in discipline referrals; and teacher, staff, parent, and administration informal feedback.

6. By the end of Year 4, student achievement will improve as measured by the CATS (state mandated assessment) general academic index, and parental involvement will increase as measured by participation in Family Nights, Second Steps Parent Education, and establishment of a school-wide Coordinating Committee.

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