The Ten Elements of a Quality School/program
Posted: Friday, February 29, 2008
by Lon Woodbury
Woodbury Reports Inc.
Everybody seems to have their own ideas of what elements are the most important in the making of a quality school or program. This has been a topic of discussion among educators for years, and the opinions expressed vary widely.
Last month at the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP) conference, I was listening to Larry Dean Olsen, co-Founder of Anasazi Wilderness, one of the earliest and most successful private wilderness programs for struggling teens. He was giving a talk on what he had found to be the ten most important elements of a successful wilderness program. It hit me that what he was presenting had wider implications than only for wilderness programs. The ten most important elements he was presenting would apply equally well to any educational organization for children.
1.) The main focus of the school or program needs to be the good of the students. Money and other things are important, but are only secondary to the needs of the students.
2.) Every student deserves respect for their natural goodness. .Even though the student might be secretive, manipulative or dishonest, he or she still has the right to be respected for the unique person they are even while the staff are handling any negative behavior.
3.) Each experience the student has should be as authentic as possible. Natural Consequences is much more effective as a learning tool than arbitrary punishment or contrived challenges.
4.) The staff must be positive role models. The students will watch the staff closely and are much more likely to accept the lessons provided if the staff is experiencing the activity right along with the students. In a very real sense, the staff IS the lesson. Of course this means no special privileges for the staff while they are with the students. Privileges granted to one in front of the other only divides, and create an "us against them" mentality.
5.) When the curriculum evolves out of the students' experiences, and are a response to student questions, it will be much more effective.
6.) Educational or therapeutic interventions, to be effective, must be designed to awaken a change of heart or a leap of understanding in the student.
7.) Parent involvement, as much as they are able to participate, creates a foundation for strengthening parent-child relationships by creating a strong motivation for the student to develop or strengthen his/her bonds with the parent. Nothing is a better motivator for a student than the possibility of regaining or strengthening a good relationship with his/her parents.
8.) Safety for the students, both physical and emotional, should always be an overriding consideration for the staff. One of the best ways to help make experiences emotionally safe for the child is to listen closely to his/her concerns.
9.) Spiritual well-being and growth must always be kept in mind since all real growth, one way or another, has at root a spiritual aspect.
10.) The staff must accept the concerns and rights of each child. How a student expresses concerns and demand rights can be used as clues and expressions of what is really important to the child. When properly interpreted, this means the child is telling you what he/she needs. A wise adult is one who can read the message and ignore any self-serving manipulation.
The school or program that keeps these elements as priorities in working with students will have more success than a school that makes rules, administrative convenience or any other value their priority.
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