Best Practice Name: Kindness is Contagious
Category: Citizenship / Character Education
Population Served: Grades K-4
Year Awarded: 2003-04
District: Brigantine (Atlantic County)
School: Brigantine Elementary School
City: Brigantine

The Kindness is Contagious program has earned recognition for the school as the Kindest School in New Jersey twice. The violence prevention, safe schools initiative involves all children in grades K-4. Kindness is infused into the curriculum of the school and continues in the home. The entire community adopted the program and was named the Kindest Place in New Jersey. The program has been recognized by resolution of the New Jersey Legislature and has been written into the Congressional Record as a national model.

The program has helped a learning climate among staff and students which has resulted in high student achievement earning the school top state and county awards.

Program Description
The program proposed for recognition is a character education program called "Kindness is Contagious" which has earned numerous honors for our School including the "Kindest School in New Jersey" award for two consecutive years. This violence prevention, safe schools program involves all children in grades K-4.

Several years ago our community and school were undergoing many changes. The school's multicultural enrollment was growing rapidly as was a mobility rate that was of 26%.The school's enrollment had reached 695 pupils with 135 students whose first language was not English. The poverty rate had risen to 35%. Challenged by these changes, a Strategic Planning Committee representing all segments of our community was organized to identify needs and develop a plan to guide for the district in meeting these needs of students. From this need developed "Kindness is Contagious" a program began at this school 7 years ago and is now a state model.

The objectives as stated in the Strategic Plan are to infuse values education into the existing curriculum, increase cultural awareness, a better school climate with less disciplinary problems, all resulting in higher student achievement.

The Kindness is Contagious program works as follows. First, kindness and its attributes are explained to the children in a general assembly held by the principal. Then children are given logs to count their acts of kindness at home and at school. The children perform the acts of kindness in the classroom, lunchroom, on the bus, in the home and community. Students record their acts. Teachers, administrators, school personnel, and parents recognize and reinforce these acts. Children and classes are honored weekly with certificates for the most acts of kindness done. Their names and deeds are announced over the PA system and over our elementary-in-house television station by peers. During all classes, regular ed, special ed or specials, kindness is integrated into the daily education of students.

The Kindness program has helped transform a school that was experiencing confusion, low staff morale, and low test scores into one the most honored schools in the state. Test scores over a four year period have risen dramatically. The 31.7% increased in Language Literacy earning state recognition as a model.

Our staff works in a caring environment which promotes creativity and dedication. Our staff is truly one of family and is a result of this character education. This warmth transfers onto the children and makes our school environment exceptional

Kindness is Contagious is extremely innovative and has served as a model for state programs initiating character education. Our school became the first in New Jersey to receive the award as the Kindest School. The procedures and criteria developed as a pilot are now used by Mission Kindness International in a statewide Kindness program. Additionally, this program was selected as a model by the Office of Equity Issues: Pride in Who We Are. It has been recognized as a state and national model by resolution of the NJ Legislature and written into the Congressional Record.

Alignment with Core Standards
Kindness is Contagious addresses many CCCSNJ helping children to develop optimal wellness by learning and applying personal, interpersonal, and life skills. These are: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.49, 6.1, 6.4, 6.5, 7.2., 9.1 and Cross Content Standards 1, 2, 3, and 4. Additionally, the program addresses the District's Strategic Planning Goals mentioned in question number 1. Below is an explanation to substantiate the elements of the CCCSNJ and their alignment with the District's Strategic Goals.

The Core Curriculum Standards listed under Comprehensive Health and Physical Education addresses issues of character, leadership, sportsmanship, rule following behavior, values, relationships, and families, which are all inherently built into the process of Kindness is Contagious.

The Social Studies Standards refer to the social competency of positive interactions with classmates and adults. They address the need to be aware of and sensitive to differences in people.

The Cross-Content Workplace Readiness Skills sum up the theories behind Kindness is Contagious. Learning to be a better, kinder, more tolerant person at a young age fosters the growth of the people of tomorrow by providing life skills necessary for a successful and productive adulthood.

The Core Curriculum Standards and the goals of the school's Strategic Planning Goals are aligned to each other and in agreement. The Kindness program and the infusion of kindness and respect for others throughout the curriculum successfully meet these indicators. The goals addressed in the Strategic Planning Goals are Strategic Plan Goal #1.5 "The District will infuse values education into the existing curriculum. Students will develop an understanding and respect for different cultures as well as their own" and Goal #6 "The school district will have in place a program to increase cultural awareness of the school and community." Utilizing character education across the curriculum and throughout the school, from administration down to student, produces Indicators of Success #1.1 & 1.2., "less disciplinary problems and better school climate". The school has multiple indicators of this success based on the numerous prestigious awards earned, including three of the state of New Jersey's highest education awards all aligned with the Core Curriculum Standards of New Jersey.

The Local Government Budget Review Committee in March of 2001, in its report to the community after a thorough evaluation of the entire school and its programs, declares, "The State is once again looking to character education as a means of improving the learning environment in classrooms by raising respect for themselves and others. The school has an excellent program already in place. The emphasis in the school district on character building, values and kindness has improved upon an already good school climate. The administration and staff are active participants and role models to the students through their involvement." This statement was a result of the Kindness is Contagious program which is aligned with the District's Strategic Planning Goals and the CCCSNJ.

Program Assessment
Kindness is Contagious was designed to address the educational needs of our multicultural and highly mobile student enrollment as contained in the district's Strategic Plan. This was the purpose of bringing all segments of our community together to develop a plan that would address the needs of our school and community. The initial step was to elicit meaningful improvement in parental and community involvement in school matters. The program thus has a mission statement and specific objectives that reflect the view of the community. The school can document its' success based on the high achievement of students and numerous state awards of excellence.

The Kindness Program addresses several of the Strategic Planning Goals such as Goal #1.5: "By the year 2000, the district will infuse values education into the existing curriculum". This goal has been achieved as indicated by one of the lowest suspension rates in the state on the school report card, as well as attaining numerous awards, state and nation wide. Additionally, the school was selected as a New Jersey pilot model of the Safe Schools Initiative. Goal #6 of the Strategic Plan reads, "The school district will have in place a program to increase cultural awareness of the school and community". The Kindness Program brought the whole community together.

The school philosophy is based on Roland Barth's theory that, collegiality, the relationship of staff with each other, has more to do with student learning than almost any other factor. The overall impact of the kindness program and its infusion throughout the curriculum is evident on the school's four year performance on the NJ ESPA Language Literacy test. The information below shows the growth in the percentage of students in both the Advance Proficiency and the Total Proficiency levels over a four year period from 1999 to 2002. During that time, the school increased Language Literacy by a remarkable 31.7 percent.

1999 proficient 55.6%, advanced proficient 0.9%, total proficient 56.5%;
2000 proficient 63.0%, advanced proficient 2.8%, total proficient 65.8%;
2001 proficient 77.8%, advanced proficient 6.5%, total proficient 84.3%:
2002 proficient 86.4%, advanced proficient 1.8%, total proficient 88.2%.

On last year's ASK 4 test the school met all state and federal standards. This was impressive considering a poverty rate of 35%, the high mobility rate and large multicultural enrollment.

Perhaps the best assessment of the students was done with a survey given to all staff to answer anonymously about the school climate as part of our safe schools model program. Ninety five percent of staff rated most students as being helpful and cooperative to teachers with less than 5% undecided. The entire survey painted a picture of a school atmosphere of collegiality and cooperation. A staff survey also indicated high staff moral and empowerment.

In a student survey given by a teacher to her fourth grade class, 40% of the student stated the most important thing that they learned was kindness and respect for others.

Inclusion of Special Needs Students
The school prides itself on the model inclusionary practices that involve all special needs children in school programs and activities. Kindness is Contagious is one of the practices this school has in effect which promotes high student achievement for both regular education students and children with disabilities.

In this school, children with disabilities are mainstreamed into classes with regular education children for all special (arts) subjects. The children are given the necessary support needed by the Child Study Team, the Special Education Teacher, Administration and the Specials teachers. When necessary, personal aides are assigned to children whose IEP states they require additional support. Children in wheel chairs also have personal aides.

These children participate in all of our award winning programs. All third and forth grade students do digital art PowerPoint portfolios as part of our state award winning art/technology program. Children in need are given individual attention. Aides are assigned where needed to assist classified children with technology, art and other special subjects.

Special needs children participate in kindness programs along with their classmates. For example, a child with cerebral palsy participated in our Grandparents Day Art and Essay Contest which is a portion of the Kindness Program (addressing Strategic Planning Goal stating "Expand the Intergenerational Program to include Elementary Students and institute a Grandparents Day), and then submitted it to a state wide Grand Parents Day Essay Contest . She won first prize for her essay. She also made the honor roll for three consecutive years. This child is assisted by a personal aide.

Currently the school has one self contained classroom for multiply handicapped children, with the ability to move into two more classes if the need arises.

The inclusionary practices of the school are spelled out in the District's Professional Development Plan with Goal #3 "We will expand the scope of our inclusion of classified students into the mainstream population."

A thorough evaluation of the district practices in all areas by the NJ Department of Treasury, Local Budget Review Committee praised the district for its special education services and its financial efficiency. In the report to the Community dated March 2001, the LGBRC credits the district for its decline in special education spending. The Report states that "this [decline] is attributable to an array of programs now available within the district. In addition to newly established classrooms and special education services, the district has unique programs to enhance social and home skills. The district is commended for taking measures to return out of district placements by developing programs within the district."

A teacher from a Special Service District in our county observed the Kindness is Contagious program in our school and has integrated it into their curriculum. The school serving disabled children adopted the program. The teacher additionally did her Master of Arts degree thesis entitled "The Affect of a Kindness Awareness, Character Education Program on the Self Concept and Behavior of Special Education Students" as a result of her experience with Kindness is Contagious.

Replication
The Kindness is Contagious program is easily replicated.

Because of our initial creation of Kindness is Contagious and the continued integration of the kindness program throughout our school every year, many other school districts have used our program as a guide and resource to further their own programs.

Since Kindness is Contagious' conception 7 years ago, character education has grown in the field of education. Our program was a forerunner and in place actively receiving accommodations prior to the statewide programs of character education which have became available. Consequently, our format has been replicated numerous times already.

The basic needs of the program are relatively simple, yet can change the whole learning environment of the school. The school needs a coordinator who believes in the program and is able to motivate staff to participate. Since our school can document a reduction in discipline, vandalism, and a significant increase in the learning climate of the school, staff can be easily convinced of the benefits.

The classroom teacher is critical to the success of the program. The value of kindness is infused into the curriculum by the teachers. She or he teaches kindness and encourages children to respect themselves and others.

The kindness campaign begins in full swing with daily announcements and a pep rally provided by the school principal. The children are then given the log information. Children keep records of their own acts of kindness in school and at home. They tally these acts and give them to their teacher. Parents cooperate by helping children record their acts of kindness. Logs and other records are sent to the office and a clerk totals the class and individual acts. Bus drivers and lunchroom aides also record group kindnesses and send them to the office.

Once tallied, we send our total acts of kindness to Mission Kindness International which runs a state wide competition that came about as a result of our schools' program. From this state wide competition, our school principal was honored as the kindest principal in New Jersey based on nominations by our staff and members of our community. In previous years, both the school and the community have been honored as the kindest school and place in New Jersey through the Mission Kindness International State wide Kindness competition as part of the Governor's kindness awareness month campaign.

Children and classes are honored weekly with certificates for most acts of kindness done. Their names and deeds are announced over the PA system and over our elementary-in-house television station by peers. Rewards such as a pizza party with a friend for the most kind act, kindness stickers and certificates are used to motivate the children. Rewards are given to the most kind classrooms and bus drivers.

We believe that the kindness program, which helps create a collegial atmosphere, is the cornerstone of our success.

There is very minor funding necessary for this program. Certificates and rewards have been donated to the school.