20th CENTURY TEACHING HAS LEFT OUR CHILDREN IN CRISIS:
Without the Basics…
Attendance
Estimated U.S. 4-year high school dropout rate: 51%
Behavior
The chance of a U.S. 6th grader with “poor” citizenship graduating high school: 24%
Content
California 4th graders reading at a level below “proficient”: 77%
Without Social Emotional Learning…
Engagement
Percentage of U.S. 5th-12th grade public school students non-engaged or actively disengaged in their education: 50%
Positive Core Values
Decline in empathic concern among American college students since 1982: 41%
Self-efficacy
U.S. 5th-12th grade public school students not hopeful about their future: 52%
Without 21st Century Skills…
Focus
Average attention span of an American 12-year-old: 8.2 seconds
Higher Order Thinking
Entry-level employees with inadequate critical thinking skills: 75%
Teamwork
Employers who cite deficiencies in teamwork among high school graduates: 70.3%
AN INTERVENTION IS DESPERATELY NEEDED…
“If you want to address the drop-out issue in high school — we need to have appropriate interventions in place when students are in 4th, 5th and 6th grades.”*
—Jack O’Connell, former California Superintendent of Public Education
* Over 75% of SPIRIT SERIES students participate in grades 4, 5 and 6.
“WE HAVE BEEN FOCUSING ON THE WRONG SKILLS AND ABILITIES IN OUR CHILDREN, AND WE HAVE BEEN USING THE WRONG STRATEGIES TO HELP NURTURE AND TEACH THOSE SKILLS.”
— Paul Tough, “How Children Succeed”
SPIRIT SERIES WORKS:
Teaching the Basics…
Attendance
Decreases in absenteeism during SPIRIT SERIES residency: 32%
Behavior
Students dropped from SPIRIT SERIES for disciplinary cause: 0.4%
Content
Teacher-reported increases in reading comprehension levels after SPIRIT SERIES residency: 30.9%
Social Emotional Learning
Engagement
Participating students reporting high degree of engagement during SPIRIT SERIES residency: 78.4%
Positive Core Values
Percentage of partner teachers reporting improvement after SPIRIT SERIES residency: 57%
Self Efficacy
Teacher-reported increases after SPIRIT SERIES residency: 33.6%
Teaching 21st Century Skills…
Focus
Percentage of partner teachers reporting that SPIRIT SERIES elevates focus: 81.9%
Higher Order Thinking
Teacher-reported increases after SPIRIT SERIES residency: 22.1%
Teamwork
Students reporting improved teamwork after SPIRIT SERIES: 87.5%
“SPIRIT SERIES IS AN EXTREMELY WELL-DESIGNED PROGRAM, WITH EXQUISITE RESOURCES AND A VERY WELL-CONSIDERED PHILOSOPHY THAT MAKES IT A UNIQUE AND VALUABLE OFFERING FOR SCHOOLS, PROMOTING POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS IN ALL OF ITS GOAL AREAS.”
— 2011 Evaluation, Harvard Graduate School of Education
