1. Character Education and Its Impact on Dropout Prevention August 28, 2013

2. Integrity Time, LLC 2  Lane Yoder Chief Operating Officer and Director of Sponsorships  Kerry Coke Director of Sales and Education

3. Integrity Time: Who are we? 3  Mississippi’s only character education curriculum company.  Based in Tupelo, Integrity Time, LLC was founded by Sara Berry nearly 15 years ago.  Sara holds an education degree from Millsaps College in Jackson and has been an educator, both in the U.S. and abroad, for over 25 years.  Today, Integrity Time is in 18 states and 6 countries.

4. Integrity Time: Our Mission NOW We at Integrity Time ® believe the time is NOW to lay the foundation of strong values in our children. We believe this foundation, built through the partnership of parents, teachers and other caring adults, will help make the difference, not only in the lives of individual children, but also in the world that they, in turn, will influence.

5. Integrity Time: Why? Integrity is no longer caught. Integrity must be taught. The Problem: Character and Integrity are no longer focused on in our society.  This causes behavior problems  This causes academic problems  This causes society problems The Solution: – Create opportunities to teach character education with an intentional focus on integrity: choosing what is true and good and right. – Build a foundation of strong values through a partnership of parents, teachers, and community leaders. – Inculcate a language of integrity so children can understand what is expected of them and excel in every area of their lives.

6. The Bad News: 3,000,000 US high school students dropout annually. 8,300 high school students drop out each day. High school dropouts are ineligible for 90% of US jobs. 75% of crimes in the US are committed by a high school dropout. [Source: Education Week, Children Trends Database, Research Date: 10.12.2012] The Impact on Dropout Rate

7. Character Education and Dropout Prevention

8. Lost Teaching Time 8 A 2003 brief by Public Agenda, a NYC-based policy- research group, “found teachers report losing as much as 30 percent of instructional time to deal with behavior problems in class.” Early childhood character education with continual and academically-progressive reinforcement and teaching VS behavior modification. Fewer behavior problems = more time to teach = greater student engagement = less dropouts.

9. The Good News While there is no “silver bullet” for addressing dropout prevention, having a strong character education program is one program to add to a multi-faceted effort. State of Maryland – 30% reduction in dropouts since 2006. Studies show that schools with strong character education programs report:  Improved academic performance  Improvement in test scores, 10% - 20%  Increase in high school graduation rate  Decrease in drop-out rate The Impact of Character Education

10.  “Prosocial behavior is defined by Eisenberg, Fabes, and Spinrad (2006) as ‘…voluntary behavior intended to benefit another.’”  “Kindergarten prosocial behaviors have been found to be significant predictors of later academic success (Benner, 2011; Romano, Babchishin, & Pagani, 2010; Veenstra et al., 2008).”  “A variety of research studies have found that improving the support of students’ social and emotional development resulted in increased academic performance (Cadima, Leal, & Burchinal, 2010; Curby, Rimm-Kaufmann, & Ponitz, 2009; Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008; Ponitz, Rimm-Kaufman, Grimm, & Curby, 2009).”  “A study of an integrated character education curriculum resulted in an improved school environment, increased pro-social behavior, and higher reading and math scores, as well as decreased behavioral referrals (Marshall, Caldwell, & Foster, 2011).” Research proves it!

11. Integrity Time Curriculum ABC Integrity Time Know It Targets 4-8 year olds (Pre-K – 1 st Grade). 26 lessons using the alphabet, e.g. A is for Attitude, B is for Behavior, C is for Cooperation. Learning through games, special snacks, fun puppets, creative songs.. Every lesson has Dinner Time Discussion sheets to reinforce at home what was learned at school. Currently in English and Chinese with Spanish in development.

12. Integrity Time Curriculum Integrity Time Grow It Targets 7-10 year olds (2 nd - 4 th Grade). Teaches some of the pitfalls which hinder integrity, including cheating, teasing, tattling, being mean, being lazy and shows how to avoid these pitfalls. The program encourages integration into the academic world of reading, creative writing, journaling, and art through guided journal entries, and student booklets. Every lesson has Dinner Time Discussion sheets to reinforce at home what was learned at school.

13. Coming Soon: Middle School (11-13)

14. Coming Soon: High School

15. We surveyed 107 principals and educators representing over 10,000 students who had used Integrity Time ® and the results were:  92% believe Integrity Time is extremely easy to use and implement in the classroom.  96% believe Integrity Time Music is extremely effective in teaching concepts of integrity.  100% have seen a positive impact in their school and classroom environments. The Impact of Integrity Time

16. Measurable outcomes of the Integrity Time ® program:  Teachers have reported an increase in positive, cooperative and caring student attitudes.  They also reported increased student enthusiasm for working with peers and teachers.  Students began using appropriated character-related vocabulary in their interactions with each other and with teachers and staff.  Students were able to apply the character concepts to real situations.  There was a significant increase in student displays of respect such as the use of manners and common courtesy.  Schools have reported a decrease in office referrals.

17. Integrity Time: Academics COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS Integrity Time commissioned Dr. Janie Conway to compile a comprehensive Common Core booklet to supplement the Integrity Time Know It and Grow It curricula. The alignment booklet will provide teachers with a by- grade checklist of exactly which CCSS criteria are addressed in each lesson and with each resource.

18. Integrity Time: Award-Winning Last year, Integrity Time ® Know It was a winner of Learning Magazine’s 2012 Teacher’s Choice Award for Excellence in the Classroom.

19. Integrity Time: What’s Inside? Integrity Time Know It Kit includes: Leader’s Guide Clock Chart Set of Puppets Graphic CDs Student Booklets Pre K and K 1 st Grade Integrity Tunes CD

20. Integrity Time: What’s Inside? ABC Integrity Time Know It Leader’s Guide includes: 26 Complete Scripted Lessons Timely Extenders with each lesson Lessons include games, snacks, puppets and fun songs

21. Integrity Time: What’s Inside? ABC Integrity Time Know It The Clock Chart includes lyrics to all the songs and chants on the Integrity Tunes CD to help the children learn more effectively.

22. Never too early to start 22 “Dropping out of school is a process of disengagement that begins early.” -D is for Determination which means to “Stick with It”. -Y is for Yes and we say “Yes to staying in school!”

23. Integrity Time: What’s Inside? ABC Integrity Time Know It Puppet Set includes individual puppet faces that exemplify positive and negative integrity traits.

24. Integrity Time: What’s Inside? Integrity Time Grow It Kit Includes: Leader’s Guide Clock Chart Graphic CD Student Booklets 2 nd Grade 3 rd Grade 4 th Grade Integrity Tunes 2 Music CD

25. Integrity Time: What’s Inside? Integrity Time Grow It Leader’s Guide includes: 26 Complete Scripted Lessons Timely Extenders with each lesson Lessons include games, snacks, stories and fun songs

26. Integrity Time: What’s Inside? Integrity Time Grow It Student Booklet CDs (2 nd Grade, 3 rd Grade and 4 th Grade CDs) o Includes reproducible activity pages in journal format that encourage creative writing and positive role play according to their academic level. o Individual Story Booklets allow the children to follow along with the original stories and process the lesson even further.

27. Integrity Time: What’s Inside? Both kits contain a Graphics CD. CD includes: o Puppet Faces o Stickers o Dinnertime Discussion Sheets o Picture Frames o Diploma o All of the reproducible pages found in the curriculum The Graphics CD can be used on Promethean Boards. Timely Tip:

28. Graphics CD: Picture Frames Post with the kids’ pictures to encourage them to “see” themselves as kids of integrity. Timely Tip:

29. Graphics CD: Diplomas Award these to the children at the end of the year. Timely Tip:

30. Integrity Time

31. Integrity Time: Questions? Please feel free to email us at: info@integritytime.com and visit our website at: www.integritytime.com