Best Practice Name: Scholars for Service: Combining Enrichment with Character Education
Category: Citizenship / Character Education
Population Served: Grades 9-12
Year Awarded: 2003-04
District: Cranford Township (Union County)
School: Cranford High School
City: Cranford

Abstract
Scholars for Service is an enrichment practice that combines academic achievement with character development through a two-fold approach: rigorous interdisciplinary programs in the summer and a worthwhile service-learning project during the year. For two summers the students form a community of scholars that explore the origins of modern society and the individuals who shaped it; during the school year they strive to be agents for change. Bi-weekly meetings focus on ways of putting the Six Pillars of Character Education into action. Not only has this practice resulted in improved HSPA, SAT and TAP scores, but also it has earned national, state and local honors for citizenship.

Program Description
"Scholars for Service" is the motto of our high school enrichment program, the Scholars Circle, that combines character education with academics. In 1997 the program came about when our Academic Standards Committee met to design innovative programs that would shape our students to be both civic and academic leaders. Revising our school's mission statement to emphasize "living a life of consequence," we also expanded our school's service-learning program. A survey of SAT scores, college acceptances of our top students indicated a need for more enrichment. What better way to emphasize that mission than by establishing a gifted program that would stress not just the development of the mind, but the development of the heart, by "giving back to the community"! This practice's objectives are: (1) to mold our students into first-rate leaders with a commitment to the community by observing the six pillars of character education. (2) to spur high academic achievement through a summer interdisciplinary college-level program. (3) to leave our town a double legacy: scholarly research on the Internet and a record of civic involvement.

This became the genesis of our enrichment program that has flourished since 1998. Approximately 10% of our freshman class (Admissions criteria based on standardized test scores, teacher recommendations, grades, character) are invited to join at the end of ninth grade. The program requires a two-year commitment: participation in a four-week college level interdisciplinary program for two summers, and organizing and executing a group service-learning project that benefits the community during the school year. The thematic emphasis for these summers can change, but we have found that the essential question, "How can the individual change society" served as the focal point for our odyssey into the development of 17th and 18th century ideas. In short, a team of our teachers lead the students to trace the birth of new ideas in the morning seminars. In the last week, students become the teachers, using PowerPoint presentations, charts, live performances, plays to accent how a visionary can indeed transform an age. As a nice technological feature, the students created a Web site that gives abstracts of their papers as well as descriptions of their service projects.

During the school year the students step into the 21st century becoming activists for change. The six pillars of character education (trustworthiness, citizenship, caring, responsibility, respect and fairness) shape the bi-weekly meetings of our Scholars for Service. Among its many service-learning projects evidencing good citizenship are:

(1) working on a town redevelopment study and presenting the report to the Town Council
(2) serving as "Partners in Time" with senior citizens (teaching computer skills, performing household tasks and hosting a Bingo Brunch)
(3) producing "Recording History" booklet of interviews with the town's seniors
(4) collaborating with the local Historical Society in a "100 Years of Fashion" fund-raiser
(5) reshaping the school's peer tutoring "Reaching Out" service to help minorities
(6) organizing and executing an "American Marketplace" auction to help 9/11 families
(7) serving as "Service-Learning Ambassadors," presenting at conferences and helping other clubs/ classes develop worthwhile service projects.

The winner of a town Chamber of Commerce Civic Involvement Award and the National Character Education Partnership "Promising Practice," Scholars for Service has also resulted in high academic achievement, evidenced by performance in TAP, HSPA and SAT. More importantly, they have made "giving back to the community" a by-word for our school.

Alignment With Core Standards
1.Redevelopment Study for the Town: (An Oral & Written Report on the most advantageous use of a township tract of land).Designing the structure; researching other towns; creating, compiling an on-line survey of constituents, preparing written/oral reports, presenting plan.): All CCWR standards addressed. Employability skills, CCWR 1; Utilizing technology, CCWR; Critical thinking/decision making: CCWR 3; Working with others: CCWR 4; Reading, writing report: Language Arts Literacy 3.1;3.2; Addressing town council: LAL 3.3; Conducting interviews: LAL 3.4; Using multimedia: LAL 3.5; Understanding and applying economics: Social Studies 6.6; analyzing numerical data: Math 4.12.

2. American Marketplace to aid families victimized by 9/11. Writing to faculty, merchants parents to contribute merchandise: LAL 3.2; Creating programs, publicity, displays: Utilizing technology: LAL3.5, CCRW 2, Visual & Performing Arts 1.2; Conducting the auction: LAL 3.3; Organizing and executing entire project: All CCRW standards addressed.

3. Working with Historical Society on fund-raiser on fashion. Researching the fashions,
music and customs of the past 100 years in our town: LAL 3.1, VPA 1.1; Social Studies
6.4 (understanding NJ culture); creating an artistic production: VPA 1.3.

4."Partners In Time Project": Helping senior citizens. Teaching Internet, e-mail: All
CCWR addressed; Recording history of residents and assembling memoirs: interviewing,
and writing: LAL 3.3, 3.4, 3.2; Giving tours of the high school to alumni LAL 3.3. Creating computer flyers: CCW 2

5. Studying history, literature, science, arts of the 17th and 18th centuries from a cross-disciplinary aspect to understand complex forces of the age. SS 6.2, 6.3, 6.4; Researching
material, using library, online sources: CCWR 2, LAL 3.5;.Individual research project, oral presentations: Addressing an audience: LAL 3; Writing the paper: LAL 3.2; Understanding, critiquing art and music: VPA 1.1, 1.3, 1.4; Creating artistic productions: VPA 1; Connecting science and math to other learning: Science 5.2; Math 4.3.

Program Assessment
Clearly, our top students were not performing at the highest level in 1997 -no National Merit Finalists, Ivy League acceptances. Research indicated that gifted students profit from an intensive summer enrichment and community service projects.

The assessment measures used to determine if objectives and needs were met:

(1) to mold our students into first-rate leaders with a commitment to the community by observing the six pillars of character education.

· National, state and local awards for character: National Schools of Character Award '02: "Promising Practice"; NJEA Convention, "Great Public Schools Showcase '01"; Chamber of Commerce Award '99 for Civic Involvement.

· Individual Student Honors for community participation: Prudential Community Spirit Award; Principal's Leadership Award; Brown University, Johns Hopkins Awards.

(2) to spur high academic achievement through an interdisciplinary college-level program.

· TEST OF ACHIEVEMENT & PROFICIENCY. a comparison of the Scholars' composite scores in both Grades 9 and 10 shows improvement. All scores are given in NCE's (Normal Curve Equivalent). Moreover, since the NATIONAL composite score is 50, and the standard deviation is 21.06, the Scholars' Circle has exceeded the national average by an average of 2 standard deviations.

Statistics for Graduating Class of 2004 in TAP:

Our school's composite average for 2000-01 for Grade 9 is 70.5

Our Scholars' composite average for 2000-01 for Grade 9 is 89.58

Our school's composite average for 2001-02 for Grade 10 is 69.2

Our Scholars' composite average for 2001-02 for Grade 10 is 90.64.

Statistics for Graduating Class of 2005 in TAP:

Our school's composite average for 2001-02 for Grade 9 is 69.3

Our Scholars' composite average for 2001-02 for Grade 9 is 94.2

Our school's composite average for 2002-03 for Grade 10 is 69

Our Scholars' composite average for 2002-03 for Grade 10 is 95.87

It is evident that the Scholars have exceeded both the school and national averages after their participation in the program and have also improved each year.

B. Average SAT performance for Scholars and the school rose in the last two years:

2003: School Average 1092 Scholars' Circle average: 1450 NJ Average: 1016

2002: School Average 1068 Scholars' Circle average; 1420 NJ Average: 1011

C. The Scholars and the school's performance in HSPA also rose:

2003 The School: Advanced Proficient or Proficient in both areas 89.2%

2003 The Scholars: Advanced Proficient or Proficient in both areas 100.00%

2002 The School: Advanced Proficient or Proficient in both areas 84.2%

2002 The Scholars: Advanced Proficient or Proficient in both areas. 100.00%

E. National Merit Finalists - 10 Finalists in the last four years.

F. College acceptances: Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Brown ,University of VA, etc.

(3) to leave our town a double legacy: scholarly research and civic involvement.

A. Internet site of Scholars' Circle and library portfolio records six years of scholarship; Letters from colleges, students, teachers praise its research and originality.

B. Community projects mentioned in question #1; praise from community organizations.

Inclusion of Special Needs Students
Although we do not have a special needs student in the Scholars' Circle every year, many modifications exist that facilitate success. For example, one year we had a student with Asperger's Syndrome who excelled in math and computer science but who experienced difficulty with linguistic inference. He went on to become a National Merit Finalist and the winner of a college scholarship. Many strategies come into play in modifying the curriculum for these students. Adjusting the length and quantity of assignments to the student's ability, allowing the student more time to complete the assignment, and asking the student to reread, think about and clarify instructions before beginning an assignment are three such adaptations. The director of the program works with the Guidance Department and the mainstream teachers during the year in adapting the curriculum so the student can succeed. For example, in marking writing portfolios, the grade may be given on the basis of improvement so a student who works to improve the quality of work can merit an "A." Also, modifications are made for students with language disabilities; sometimes the students are permitted to prepare essay answers for a test as a homework assignment the preceding evening. Since models are so helpful in improving writing, both the teacher and the student worked together on developing a model essay that can be used as a paradigm for other work. In one case, a student had no difficulty with objective language questions, but experienced difficulty in subjective essays. Therefore, the student's assignments changed, and he was given extra time and help with organizing essay answers. Since he was a computer whiz, he became the leader in teaching technology and the personal tutor to teachers. This year the Scholars for Service worked collaboratively on recognizing all students' learning styles. They visited all freshman homerooms, and made bulletin boards ("Meet the Stars of 2007") for each room, accenting the preferred learning style (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactual) of all freshmen as revealed through the Kaleidoscope Profile. Professional development sessions on differentiated instruction show teachers how to rotate styles. Teachers in all disciplines submit lesson plans that modify instruction.

Replication
1. Determine by looking at achievement records (SAT, HSPA, college acceptances) of your top 10% of students if you need an enrichment program to address the needs of this group.

2. Assemble a committee of interested teachers and administrators desirous of fostering enrichment that spurs academic achievement and character development. Decide the time frame - both for selection and implementation. We started ours at the end of freshman year giving us time to mold the students. We had a half-day, four week summer program; you could also run it on Saturdays or after school (Problem: conflict with sports, clubs). Setting up the program to coincide with other summer school programs saves costs.

3. Agree on your mission and write a mission statement. We wanted members to "seek intellectual enrichment that nurtures the mind and sustains the community."

4. Your mission will determine the academic thrust. We chose the beginning of the Modern Age (17-18th centuries), a theme dovetailing with our "Visionaries as Activists" motif.

4. Discuss what you want in faculty (make it interdisciplinary). Present your case to your Board for approval; cite your research and plan. Plan cultural field trips.

5. Tie in community service so it's truly integrated with the program. The six pillars of
character education - trustworthiness, citizenship, caring, responsibility, respect and fairness become the focus of bi-weekly meetings in the school year.

6. The students themselves can decide their project or it can be in response to requests of civic groups. The town architect, the Historical Society and Community Center came to us for help; the students initiated the senior citizen project, scholarship drives, school tours.

7. A student-initiated project, coupled with a real community need, spurs high success. Our "American Marketplace" auction to help 9/11 families was a town model. The Scholars for Service united faculty, students and community in a common cause. Moreover, it brought on board ALL students and clubs in the school.

8. Have your scholars serve as "Service-Learning Ambassadors" to speak at conferences, on television and to other clubs and classes to convert others to service-learning and help them.

9. Periodically have the students present their community service projects to the Board of Education at televised meetings. This can serve as an incentive to the entire community.

10. Make certain you have an evaluation sheet for both faculty and participants. Follow your students throughout high school and college (and beyond if possible!) for valid assessment. Include high school academic performance, college choice and continued community service. You'll be delighted with their civic involvement!