OH! News - Keeping Your Mind Over Your Matters

 

December 2003

 

"'My mother said to me, "If you become a soldier, you'll be a general; if you become a monk you'll end up as the pope.' Instead I became a painter and wound up as Picasso." -- Pablo Picasso
 
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THIS MONTH'S FEATURES

  • Funding Corner: E-Rate Applications Due In January
  • Teacher's Publishing Opportunity: T.H.E. Journal
  • MindOH! Aligns With CEP's Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education
  • Highlighted Study: Fostering a Teen's Sense of School Connectedness
  • Statistics From Schools Using the MindOH! Discipline and Life Skills Series
  • Award Opportunity: 21st Century Schools of Distinction

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FUNDING CORNER: E-RATE APPLICATIONS DUE IN JANUARY

 

The E-rate - or, more precisely, the Schools and Libraries Universal Service Support Mechanism - provides discounts to assist most schools and libraries in the United States to obtain affordable telecommunications and Internet access. January 7, 2004 if the deadline for posting an application for E-Rate funding. Additional information about the opportunity can be found at http://www.sl.universalservice.org/ and http://www.scholastic.com/administrator/novdec03/articles.asp?article=erate. For additional ways to fund MindoH! in your school, visit www.mindoh.com/funding.asp.

 

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TEACHER’S PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITY: T.H.E. JOURNAL

 

T.H.E. Journal welcomes submissions of articles from educators involved in integrating technology on their campuses and into their curricula. Articles (2,000 - 4,000 words) may describe effective administrative or instructional projects with a local, regional, statewide, national or international scope. Features should address the issue's cover theme and follow Editorial Guidelines. For information about submitting to T.H.E. Journal's call for papers, visit http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/cp/default.cfm.

 

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MINDOH! ALIGNS WITH CEP'S ELEVEN PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE CHARACTER EDUCATION

 

The Character Education Partnership (CEP) is a nonpartisan coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to developing moral character and civic virtue in our nation's youth as one means of creating a more compassionate and responsible society. There is no single script for effective character education, but there are some important basic principles, and CEP developed eleven principles to serve as criteria that schools and other groups can use to plan a character education effort. MindOH! prepared an alignment document to show how the MindOH! Discipline and Life Skills Series™ meets effective character education criteria. Visit the MindOH! home page at www.mindoh.com to read the alignment.

 

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STATISTICS FROM SCHOOLS USING THE MINDOH! DISCIPLINE AND LIFE SKILLS SERIES

 

We're proud of the success we've seen so far this school year for our schools. The statistics below provide an excerpt of results based on all active MindOH! client schools from August to November of this year:

  • Rule 1: Respect - 83% of students indicated they are willing to take responsibility for the choices that got them here.
  • Taking Charge: Responsibility - 85% of students reported they have a better understanding of why being responsible will get better results.
  • It's Up To You: The Power of Choice - 93% of students agreed that the program was helpful.
  • Aspire To Achieve: Making Goals Happen - 91% of students agreed their attitude affects whether or not they can reach their goals.
  • Defusing Disagreements: Listen to Understand - 95% of students indicated they did or might have learned how to change a disagreement to an understanding.
For questions about MindOH! DLSS data, email customerservice@mindoh.com.

 

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HIGHLIGHTED STUDY: FOSTERING A TEEN'S SENSE OF SCHOOL CONNECTEDNESS

 

In an analysis done by the Center for Adolescent Health and Development at University of Minnesota on results drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health the researchers identified three crucial factors that fostered a teen’s sense of connectedness to school: well managed classrooms, small school size, and integrated friendship groups. The researchers highlighted vital enablers of effective classroom management, including:

  • providing concrete strategies to teachers and administrators to implement discipline;
  • teaching students to take responsibility for their actions;
  • providing conflict resolution strategies;
  • recognizing all students;
  • and soliciting student input and participation in classroom policies and procedures.

To read the complete study: http://allaboutkids.umn.edu/presskit/monograph.pdf

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AWARD OPPORTUNITY: 21st CENTURY SCHOOLS OF DISTINCTION

 

Scholastic Administr@tor, Intel Corporation, and Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, are offering an all-new 21st Century Schools of Distinction awards program. Schools can win national recognition and $25,000 for the school. The Sponsors are conducting a search of elementary, middle, and high schools that demonstrate excellence in any of 10 categories. This awards program is open to public, private, charter, parochial, Department of Defense, and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools (home schools are not eligible). The deadline is December 31, 2003. Application information can be found at http://www.blueribbonschools.com/award/step1.asp.

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ABOUT OH! NEWS

 

OH! News is a free monthly email newsletter distributed by MindOH!, an e-learning company created to develop innovative, measurable character education software systems that effectively increase high school graduation rates and decrease suspensions, alternative school transfers and dropout rates. MindOH!'s Discipline and Life Skill Series™ and Education Relationship Management System™ incorporate scientifically based research and flexible operating environments that quantify performance. The web-based systems are designed to be self-sustaining and flexible allowing administrators the ability to implement an integrated school wide strategy. This strategy keeps students in class spending more time on academic tasks, allows for a more personalized learning environment and facilitates online and offline relationships. www.mindoh.com
 
Please pass this email along to anyone interested in character education and empowering our nation's youth to practice ethical behavior. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or for additional information, send email to news@mindoh.com.