hear a lot of language about the virtues. Sometimes it’s them teasing one
another, like ‘Oh, you weren’t showing
integrity there,’ and it’s kind of funny,
but it’s unique and it’s palpable.” By
weaving the school’s core ethical values
into academic instruction, community
building, and discipline, Boston Prep
has built a powerful foundation of
respect.
Authors’ note: All students are referred to
by pseudonyms.
A Culture for Success
On the 2010 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS)
tests, 70 percent of Boston Prep’s 8th
graders and 90 percent of 10th graders
scored advanced or proficient in both
mathematics and language arts—scores
that are competitive with those of
students in the state’s toniest suburban
districts. When the first senior class
graduated in June 2011, all of the new
graduates had been accepted to four-year universities, and the class had
collectively earned more than $800,000
in scholarships. In short, Boston Prep is
doing its part to close the achievement
gap.
Certainly, there is no single strategy
that enables a school to demonstrate the
extraordinary academic achievement
that recently led New Leaders for New
Schools (2009) to recognize Boston
Prep for its success in raising student
achievement. However, both teachers
and students at Boston Prep say that the
attention to respect and the other core
values has played a pivotal role in their
success.
Eighth grader Natasha explained that
the focus on respect “kind of reminds
people what we’re here to do and how
we should treat other people.” Fostering a school culture where students
know what they’re here to do and how
to treat other people would seem to be
a powerful foundation on which to
build. EL
References
Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R.
(1999). How people learn: Brain, mind and
experience at school. Washington, DC:
National Academy Press.
Elbot, C., & Fulton, D. (2008). Building
an intentional school culture: Excellence in
academics and character. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Corwin Press.
Gardner, H. (2006). Five minds for the future.
Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Glenn, D. (2007). You will be tested on
this. Chronicle of Higher Education, 53( 40),
15–17.
Lickona, T., & Davidson, M. (2005). Smart
and good high schools. Cortland, NY:
Center for the 4th and 5th Rs, SUNY
Cortland. Retrieved from www.cortland
.edu/character/highschool/chapters/
SnGReport.pdf
Lickona, T., Schaps, E., & Lewis, C. (2010).
Eleven principles of effective character
education. Washington, DC: Character
Education Partnership.
Scott Seider is an assistant professor of
education at Boston University; seider@
bu.edu. Sarah Novick is a doctoral student at Boston University.
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