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Home > Resources > Clearinghouse CLEARINGHOUSE OF BEST PRACTICES FROM MAINE CHARACTER EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP SCHOOLS1. MODEL CURRICULA For school year 2003-2004, a competitive grant process was conducted (funded by a US DOE Character Education Partnership grant) and three districts were selected to develop and disseminate model curricula for elementary, middle and secondary levels of character education programming. By midyear, each of the three districts had prepared a model curriculum and had begun to implement their dissemination plans for sharing the curriculum with at least two other districts, to see how well the curriculum worked in the classroom and to make any necessary adjustments. Please feel free to contact any one of the three districts for ideas, and to benefit from their experience; they are listed below with contact information. ELEMENTARY: Union 90 (Milford), (207) 827-8061 MIDDLE: MSAD #51 (Cumberland), (207) 829-4805 SECONDARY: Union 106 (Calais), (207) 454-2591 2. CONFLICT RESOLUTION During the 2001-2002 school year, the following six schools engaged in exemplary efforts to educate students in matters of ethics and responsibility. These efforts were funded through a one-year grant dedicated to Conflict Resolution Education/Character Education. The source of these funds was the State General Fund ($50,000 appropriated by the Legislature for Conflict Resolution Education) and the federal Character Education Partnership, of which the Maine Department of Education has been a grant recipient since 2000. The information provided below was compiled upon review of these schools’ end-of-the-year Portfolios. These Portfolios are available for public review, by appointment, at the Maine Department of Education’s Library, located on the fifth floor of the Burton M. Cross State Office Building in Augusta. You may make an appointment to review these Portfolios by contacting Susan Corrente at (207) 624-6660 or susan.corrente@maine.gov . We also encourage people to contact the schools directly with inquiries regarding specific practices, programs, and curricula. The contact person for each school is listed below. District: MSAD 29 Applicability/Notable Features: A district-wide (K-12) effort aimed at implementing Conflict Resolution and Character Education. These efforts were coordinated with the following district/State initiatives: the Healthy Maine Partnership (HMP), and the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) project/Promising Futures. The primary focus of this grant was to develop a local code of conduct in MSAD 29 as mandated in Title 20-A, Section 1001(15). Strategies and practices employed included bullying prevention education/activities for staff and students aimed at improving the overall school climate. The bullying prevention program in MSAD 29 was identified, developed, and tailored to this district’s needs through their work with Chuck Saufler and the Battered Women’s Project program, "Hands Are Not For Hitting." The Interactive Theater Group was also utilized in this district’s bullying prevention efforts and gave a presentation on bullying prevention to students and faculty. MSAD 29 also worked with the Institute for Global Ethics in identifying core values that will form the foundation of the district’s code of ethics. Additionally, MSAD 29 participated in the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Team Project. District: MSAD 8 Applicability/Notable Features: A district wide (K-12) effort, with a particular focus on conflict resolution in grades K-5, and service learning in grades 7-12. Jacinthe Sirois, M.Ed, developed the conflict resolution program in MSAD 8. At the middle and high school levels, student government was implemented for the first time in several years. Strategies and practices employed included identification of core values for all and the integration of conflict resolution into the Language Arts and Social Studies programs of study. A conflict resolution resource library was also established and materials purchased. Educators in this district found the following resources to be particularly useful as they implemented conflict resolution education:
At the high school level, members of the student council and other students participated in the Institute for Global Ethics Ethical Fitness seminar and the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence Student Leaders Project. Future plans in MSAD 8 include implementation of a bullying prevention program in grades K-8, and the expansion of the conflict resolution curriculum into the middle school grades. District: Brewer School Department Applicability/Notable Features: In this district efforts were targeted largely toward the first grade students at the Pendleton Street School. The C.A.R.E.S program, created by Dr. Bob Peddicord, was implemented for all first grade students. C.A.R.E.S stands for: Co-operate, Appreciate, Respect, Encourage, Speak-Up. Strategies and practices employed included: a program targeted at teaching temper taming skills and developing supportive classrooms for 1st grade students; classroom guidance sessions for grades K-5; Health and Wellness courses available for grades 5-12; peer mediation at the middle school level; and outdoor education classes and a Community of Caring classroom at the high school level. District: MSAD 58 Phone: (207) 265-5511 x8 Applicability/Notable Features: A district wide (K-12) effort, coordinated with the following district/State/national initiatives: various mentoring programs; service learning, the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) project/Promising Futures; Tribes (www.tribes.com); and a prevention curriculum called Life Skills Training. The primary focus of grant activities in MSAD 58 was to identify and implement core values and to share "best practices" among educators on a consistent, district-wide basis. District: Bath School System Applicability/Notable Features: Activities were targeted toward students in grades 1-5. Strategies and practices employed included: defining and recording existing conflict resolution/character education curricula and practices; conducting community forums aimed at soliciting and gathering information from the broader community with regard to the values that should be promoted in the school; aligning existing curricula/practices with the information gathered from community members during public forums; and purchasing of materials to support the revised curricula/practices. Specifically, this district created the following programs and processes: the Good Citizen Program, Team Sharkey, and the ABCD approach to conflict resolution. ABCD stands for: Ask (what is the conflict), Brainstorm (possible solutions), Choose (a solution that works for both parties), Decide (is the solution working). District: MSAD 11 Applicability/Notable Features: In Gardiner, activities were targeted toward middle school students. Strategies and practices employed included: peer tutoring; conflict resolution; and an advisor/advisee program. Specifically, MSAD 11 utilized Camp Kieve’s Leadership Institute, implemented a student-of-the-week program, and implemented a Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program.
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