Wednesday, July 17, 2002
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Wednesday, July 17, 2002 |
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CARE Reaches Milestone of Helping Students and Incorporates New Program to Promote Positive Labeling As the Children at Risk in Education (CARE) program of the Fayette County School System gets ready to mark its 10th anniversary during the 2002-2003 school year, statistics prove that the program is having a positive impact on the county's schools. CARE is a student assistance-based program that reaches out to students who are having difficulties with stress, grades, relationships, substance abuse and finances. The program's goals are to reduce discipline problems, build positive relationships, decrease drop-out rates, increase school attendance, improve self-esteem and reduce substance abuse. CARE tackles these goals through supplemental programs such as Rainbows/Spectrum, a support system for students who have experienced a loss of a parent or guardian by death, divorce or other means of separation, and Second Step, a curriculum that teaches anger management, empathy and problem-solving. A program assessment compiled by the school system's CARE Coordinator, Karen Spangler, at the end of the 2001-2002 academic year indicates that both programs are helping students make positive changes in the way they see themselves and interact with others. Prior to implementing the Rainbows/Spectrum program, elementary, middle and high schools across the county collectively reported that out of the 375 students participating, 52 percent of them were experiencing academic problems, 41 percent behavioral problems and 50 percent exhibited social problems. After the program, academics improved 68 percent, behavioral 76 percent and social 74 percent. Likewise, the Second Step program, which is mainly designed for elementary and middle school-aged students, showed similar successful results. At the elementary level, empathy, problem solving and anger management skills of students were up by 74, 73 and 65 percent respectively. The middle school level saw a 62 percent increase in empathy, a 62 percent increase in problem solving skills and a 50 percent increase in anger management. "The focus of the overall CARE program is to decrease violence in schools. If we can teach children the negative effects of name calling, make them feel good about themselves or teach them effective ways to problem solve, then we can reduce violence," says Spangler. While CARE is helping to build stronger and safer school environments, it is important to note that state funding, not local, covers all expenses of the program. As CARE enters into its 10th year in Fayette, the program will be expanding to include a new supplement designed to carry the message of positive labeling to students at all school levels. In the spring of 2002, Braelinn Elementary became the first school in the United States to become positive label or Kamaron Concept III (KC3) certified through the Kamaron Institute. The institute was created by Peachtree City resident Margaret Ross to help schools, businesses, organizations and homes become a safe haven where only positive labels or words are used. The entire school, students, staff and faculty, learned about the effects of positive labeling by reading Ross' book, "Casey and the Amazing, Giant, Green Shirt." The story centers on a young boy named Casey who finds his grandfather's old Army shirt and notices that a badge is missing from it. He asks his mother to make him a badge to fill the space and she gives him the task of deciding what the badge should say. Casey takes a whole week, choosing a different word each day: special, brave, smart, nice, fast, patriotic and loved. Through his journey to find the perfect word for his badge, he learns about the joy of positive words and the pain of unkind ones. After reading the book, students, faculty and staff participated in activities where they had to identify positive labels for themselves and others and share them with the school. Following Braelinn's positive label certification, CARE coordinators throughout the school system became interested in implementing the program. Based on meetings held with counselors and CARE coordinators at various school levels, Ross is in the process of writing a new book called "Casey and the Growing Spurt," which features a teenage Casey and focuses on issues specific to that age group such as peer pressure and the fear of being "left out." "We are always actively seeking those opportunities where we can add programs that cover kindergarten through 12th grade. The whole foundation of our student assistance program is that it is comprehensive, that's why it has flourished," says Spangler. According to a survey given to 3,000 participants of the KC3 positive label program in 2002, teachers reported that they experienced 53 percent less name-calling and 56 percent more positive labeling following the implementation of the program. Likewise, 100 percent of students surveyed reported a decrease in school-wide name-calling. It takes about 6 weeks to complete the KC3 program. Elementary schools interested in implementing the program this school year will begin in late August. Middle and high schools participating in the program will have their kick-off in coordination with Red Ribbon Week, which celebrates safe, drug-free and violence-free schools. Through the Kamaron Institute's and Kamaron Foundation's educational partnership with the National Museum of Patriotism and being an Official Character Education Resource, Fayette's teachers can also earn continuing education credits through the program. Kamaron Institute president, Margaret Ross, says "We are delighted to join forces with CARE and the National Museum of Patriotism to positively impact the world of children and helping this excellent organization build its bridges of caring throughout Fayette County." Additionally, Georgia's Center for Character Education has recently recognized the KC3 Positive Label program as a recommended program that works.
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