Search Institute

Recognition, Awards, and Quotes

peterh — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:21:58 -0500

In the News | Recognition | Awards | Quotes

NEWS

6-25-2009 40 Assets Survey Released
NBC Newschannel 6
There are 40 assets that youth need to succeed and become confident and caring adults. Those assets include things like support, values and responsibility.

6-23-2009 Asset 12: School Boundaries
Bainbridgega.com
Make sure everyone knows the rules—All schools need rules. In fact, young people actually learn better when school boundaries-expectations for how they should act-are clear and consistent.

6-22-2009 Asset 11: Family Boundaries
Bainbridgega.com
Clear, concise, consistent boundaries-for all—What happens if you’re late to a business meeting? Run a red light? Fail to pay for your morning coffee? Rules and expectations are important.

6-21-2009 Father’s Day started at YMCA
The Times-Reporter
Father’s Day began at a YMCA in Spokane, Wash., with a young woman named Sonora Louise Smart. She was the daughter of a Civil War veteran raising his children alone after the death of their mother.

6-20-2009 Follow your own expectations
Lamonitor.com
This week we take a look at Asset #15, High Expectations. According to the Search Institute, youth are more likely to grow up healthy when their parents have high expectations.

6-20-2009 Asset 10: Safety
Bainbridgega.com
Combating fear, and growing up safe in an unsafe world Young people who feel threatened, unsafe, or scared often spend a lot of time trapped in fear or in their attempts to protect themselves.

6-17-2009 Your View: Keep Mankato healthy for youths
MankatoFreePress.com
Many letters to the editor have been written recently in regard to some human interest issues, for example, the letter about the Theresa House and its need for donations to ensure continuation of services for the homeless; the letter about funding early childhood education, as it is the cornerstone of so many factors in a child’s life; and many others.

6-17-2009 Greece elementary students climb aboard Books on Buses program
Democrat and Chronicle
Reading is an important part of fifth-grader Jacob Carey’s life. A fan of horror books, Jacob doesn’t just read for fun. “I read every night because it helps me get more understanding of how to write,” he said.

6-15-2009 KidsFirst Saskatoon Launches Asset-Based Public Service Announcements
Playing on CTV and Global
KidsFirst Saskatoon has launched a Developmental Asset Public Service Announcement campaign developed by the Regina Qu’Apple Health Region.

6-14-2009 Asset 6: Parent Involvement in School
Bainbridgega.com
When children start kindergarten, most parents are quite involved with their education. They attend parent-teacher conferences, cheer on their children at school concerts, and proudly display their children’s artwork.

6-11-2009 Asset 5: Caring School Climate
Bainbridgega.com
Every place has a climate, even a classroom The way young people feel about going to school and how well they learn is directly tied to what kind of "climate" their school has.

6-11-2009 Asset 4: Caring Neighborhood
Bainbridgega.com
Do you remember coming home from school and running through the neighborhood at a thundering speed, playing catch with your pals, and having a last-minute pizza dinner with your best friend’s family? Past generations have enjoyed much more freedom and safety than young people today.

6-11-2009 Renfro outlines “40 Assets” at Rotary Club meeting
The Daily American
Be proactive in the lives of children. That was the message delivered at Tuesday’s meeting of the West Frankfort chapter of the Rotary Club International.

6-09-2009 Asset 3: Other Adult Relationships
Bainbridgega.com
When times get tough, kids need adults they can trust Who did you turn to for advice, comfort, and understanding when you were young? Was there an adult you trusted and enjoyed talking with?

6-09-2009 The Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets
Suite101.com
Helping Teens Prevent Risky Behavior and Promote Resiliency

6-08-2009 Only Seven Percent of U.S. Fifteen Year-Olds Have All Three Life Experiences Key to Their Futures
Business Wire EON
“Teen Voice 2009” Study Underscores Opportunity to help Teens Identify their Passions, Find their Voices and Build Relationships That Support Their Development.

6-06-2009 Finding a Balance with Summer Youth Programs
5 Minutes For Mom (Blog)
Positively Speaking Building Assets in your Kids by Kelly Curtis, M.S., author of Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things.

6-08-2009 Asset 2: Positive Family Communication
Bainbridgega.com
The importance of an open door Sometimes conversations with young people-especially your own children-can become confrontational. Learning to listen can help prevent slamming doors and, instead, open them.

6-07-2009 Development Asset #1: Family Support
Bainbridgega.com
Love and support: The family foundation You can show the children in your family that you love and support them in many ways. When you hug them or say, "I love you," the sentiment is obvious.

6-03-2009 Best Buy to Host Panel Discussion, Unveil New Report on Teen Motivation, Encouragement.
Tech Whack

RECOGNITION

Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s School of Social Work put on a half-day seminar entitled “Super Hero Training Camp: 40 Developmental Assets” to help train faculty, professionals, and students who work with children.
Read the article

The Logan County Drug Free Youth Coalition has surveyed students in several Ohio schools about underage drinking and drug use, and found that peer pressure and parental tolerance are two of the top factors that encourage underage drinking.
Read the article

The Los Alamos school district is developing a plan to prevent bullying, based on the Developmental Assets, according to the Los Alamos Monitor. The article share some interesting insights on bullying in schools.
Read the article

YouthWorker.com featured a game from Search Institute’s Great Group Games in their Share & Tell section.
See the game

mySouthwestGA.com featured an article on Search Institute, including trainer Jim Conway‘s explanations of the Developmental Assets.
Read the article

Youth Today calls Peter Benson’s latest book, Sparks: How Parents Can Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers “an engaging guide for parents. This new aspect of youth development is an exciting and worthy outgrowth of the developmental assets approach.” Youth Today also reviews Search Institute Press title Empowering Youth “a gold mine for youth workers and youth advocates.”

The Search Institute Press book Parenting Preteens with a Purpose is featured on the Midwest Book Review’s Web site. you can learn how to relate to your preteen!

The Search Institute Press publication Great Group Games is featured in Tennessee’s Consignor magazine. For more information and a chance to check free tips, click to read the article here.

Check out the blog for YALSA and how using the 40 Developmental Assets can help teens gain social competence, support, personal identity, and positive values as a result of their friendships.

Read the VOYA June 2008 article and learn how libraries are using Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets. Check out the article by downloading the PDF here!

Search Institute was cited in the December 2007 issue of Redbook. Research about preteens and teens that volunteer is highlighted on page 152 in “Make Your Holidays Sparkle & Glow,” which includes holiday ideas and tips from readers.

The Search Institute Press publication Great Group Games was featured in the spring 2008 issue of Learning Magazine.

Search Institute Press publication Teaching Kids to Change the World was reviewed in PaperClip Communications, February 2008. “This new resource is a practical guide that provides educators with the essential tools to inspire young people to change the world for the better… This book is a must-read for educators and parents committed to providing young people with the wisdom to continue the sustainability of our planet.”

Search Institute Press publication Raise Them Up
The Arkansas Center for the Book at the Arkansas State Library annually creates Fresh from Arkansas, a poster highlighting Arkansas authors. They are distributed at various festivals (including the National Book Festival) and to Arkansas libraries and schools. They chose Raise Them Up by Kareem Moody.

AWARDS

Safe Places to Learn, a Search Institute Press title, was a finalist for the Midwest Independent Publishers Associations 18th Annual Midwest Book Awards. The event, sponsored by Publisher’s Weekly, attracted 167 nominees from 78 publishers in 12 Midwestern states. Read more about Safe Places to Learn.

2005 VOYA Review Editor’s Choice selection. Read more about Life Freaks Me Out: And Then I Deal With It.

Winner of the Association of Educational Publishers’ 2000 Distinguished Achievement Award. Read more about You Have to Live It.

QUOTES

“Search Institute is a national treasure. It provides the new ideas and the research America needs to grow healthy and successful youth.”
— Colin Powell, Former Secretary of State

“The concepts of Developmental Assets and asset-building community are giant leaps forward both in understanding the power of engaged communities and in creating strategies for improving the well-being of children and families.”
— Al Gore, Former Vice President of the United States

“At a time when too many are criticizing students, families, and schools, [Peter Benson] redirects attention to students’ skills, talents, promise, and possibilities. Benson provides a useful vocabulary—Developmental Assets—and a comprehensive blueprint to strengthen families, schools, and communities.”
— Joyce L. Epstein, Johns Hopkins University

“The 40 assets for the healthy development of youth that have been identified by Search Institute should be extended by one—Search Institute itself. No institution is doing more to enhance understanding of the bases of positive development of our nation’s youth… In building a compelling case for a focus on the assets requisite for healthy youth development, the work of Search Institute is making a singular and sustainable contribution to the future of civil society.”
— Richard M. Lerner, Tufts University

“Peter Benson continues to remind us of how far short of the mark we have fallen in meeting the needs of our youngest generation. But then he provides a gift: a unifying vision that we can all rally around: parents, neighbors, youth serving organizations, and ultimately whole communities committed to the healthy development of all our kids.” — Judy Vredenburgh, Big Brothers
Big Sisters of America

“What Search has to offer the academic community is a model for applying research to real-world issues.”
— Michael Nakkula, Harvard Graduate School of Education

“Benson’s Developmental Assets model has become the most widely recognized approach to positive youth development in the United States and, increasingly, around the world. His groundbreaking vision and public voice have inspired a sea change in the way practice and policy are conducted throughout the youth development field.” — William Damon, Stanford University

What Kids Need: Developmental Assets

admin — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:16:47 -0500

What Are Developmental Assets?

Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets® are common sense, positive experiences and qualities that help influence choices young people make and help them become caring, responsible adults.
Read more
…………………………………………………………………………………………..

NEW Interactive Asset Lists!

Need some ideas for building assets? View the list below and click on the asset you want to build!

40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents (ages 12–18)

View Download pdf

In Spanish: Elementos fundamentales del desarrollo PDF
French: 40 Acquis dont les jeunes ont besoin pour réussir PDF

40 Developmental Assets for Middle Childhood (ages 8–12)

View Download pdf

In Spanish: 40 Elementos Fundamentales del Desarrollo para la pre-adolescencia (edades de 8 a 12) PDF

40 Developmental Assets for Early Childhood (ages 3–5)

View Download PDF

Spanish: 40 Elementos Fundamentales del Desarrollo para niños pre-escolares (edades de 3 a 5) PDF
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Tools for Asset Building

Check out available books, reports, videos, and other materials on Developmental Assets and how you can build assets throughout your community.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The Assets Research

Search Institute’s research indicates that Developmental Assets powerfully influence adolescent behavior, both by protecting young people from risky, problem behaviors and by promoting positive attitudes and choices.
Read more
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Other Translations of 40 Developmental Assets

Many communities have taken the time to translate our 40 Developmental Assets list into their primary languages. Although these translations have not been formally approved or reviewed for accuracy by Search Institute, we believe they have potential benefit for others.

Alcholi (PDF)
Arabic (PDF)
Armenian (PDF)
Bulgarian (PDF)
Chinese (PDF)
Farsi (PDF)
Hmong (PDF)
Japanese (PDF)
Khmer (PDF)
Nuer (PDF)
Russian (Word Document)
Somali (PDF)
Vietnamese (PDF)

Do you use any of these lists? If so, we would love to have your feedback! We want to make the assets as effective and far-reaching as possible.
And, if you know of other translations, please forward them to si@search-institute.org. We will share translations as widely as we can.

Learn more about Search Institute’s approach to introducing Developmental Assets to new cultures and countries.

Search Institute-50 Years of Discovering What Kids Need to Succeed!

admin — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:42:08 -0600

What's New

6-19-2009 Dr. Peter Benson to Brief Congress
Dr. Peter Benson, President of Search Institute, will address Congress on Tuesday regarding the CDC report School Connectedness: Strategies for Increasing Protective Factors among Youth.
Read the media alert
Read senator Amy Klobuchar's letter to Congress
Read the full CDC report
Check back soon for a full video of the briefing!

6-17-2009 School Connectedness
Jon Terry, President of Capitol Youth Strategies LLC in Washington, DC speaks out about the importance of school connectedness and its impact on positive youth development.
Watch the video

6-15-2009 "What Does It Mean to Be Spiritual?"
Dr. Peter Benson answered this question for FM 107 in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Listen to the answer

6-9-2009 Nurturing the Spirit of Youth Event
Take a few minutes to listen to Senior Trainer Jim Conway describing the exciting event hosted at Search Institute on July 18. Learn more about the training

6-9-2009 GLCYD Uses Search Institute Surveys to Track Developmental Assets
The Great Lakes Center for Youth Development has used Search Institute’s Attitudes and Behaviors survey to assess and improve the levels of assets in their youth over a period of 11 years.
Find out more
Read about GLCYD

6-8-2009 New Study Focuses on Tapping the Strengths of 15-Year-Olds

Only seven percent of 15 year-olds in the U.S. experience a strong combination of three key factors critical to their success, according to new Search Institute study sponsored by the Best Buy Children’s Foundation.
Learn more

6-2-2009 40 Developmental Assets for Grades K–3 (ages 5-9)
Search Institute's asset lists now cover preschool through high school. Check out our new list for children in grades K-3!
View Download

Conversation Generator

Start more discussions with our Conversation Generator>>

Activity Generator

Find more ideas with our Activity Generator>>

Locate an Asset Champion

Visit asset-building initiatives across the world.

Go to the map>>

Send an e-Card

Help send a positive youth message.

Send now>>

"School Connectedness" on Capitol Hill

nathane — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:48:22 -0500

I’d like to send a big kudos to Jon Terry, a tireless advocate for positive youth development in Washington D.C. If you like guns, education, oil, and a host of other issues, you’re pretty well represented in Washington. If you’re rallying lawmakers around positive youth development? That’s a little more lonely.

Jon has organized a Capitol Hill briefing next Tuesday centered around the CDC’s report around school connectedness. Search President Peter Benson will be speaking. Lawmakers will be listening. This is a cool day.

Here’s a description on Jon’s blog about the event. We’ll report back on how it goes. Make sure to read the CDC’s report in Jon’s posting. Print it out. Forward it. Distribute it. And if you’re anywhere near Washington, get to the briefing. Call your state representatives and encourage them to go. Write letters in support of positive youth development.

Jon Terry, Search Institute, and all organizations and individuals working to change society’s perceptions about youth can use all the help we can get in raising awareness around the issues we care about the most!

Developmental Assets are Free!

andrea — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:29:07 -0600

We have a wealth of resources that won’t cost you a cent!

Free Resource Downloads

Free Webinars and Podcasts

Check out our Webinar and Podcast Library – updated regularly!

Free Ways to Connect with Youth

Free Research Findings about Assets

Free E-newsletters (and archives of all newsletters)

Free Grant-Writing Help

Grant Writing Resources

Request a Letter of Support for Grant Applications

andrea — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:44:19 -0500

Search Institute will provide a letter of support to organization or community seeking funding for an asset-building project or initiative. Fill in the requested information below and Search Institute will respond to your request within two business days. If your request is urgent, please call 877-240-7251 for immediate assistance. We will customize your letter of support to meet the needs of your grant application.

Resources for Libraries

peterh — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:33:51 -0600

Building Great Communities…Book by Book

We are happy to offer review copies of Playful Reading to the first 50 respondents. 0 left! Check back for future review copy offers.
Read more about the book >>
Ordering Info >>

Librarians are doing some of the most important work in positive youth development today. Search Institute Press resources benefit libraries in three ways:

Programming: Our books of activities, games, mentoring tools, and community outreach ideas provide youth program leaders with thousands of ways to reach out to teens. Get sample pages of The Best of Building Assets Together and Great Group Games.

Professional Development: Our research framework of 40 Developmental Assets offers a fresh way of looking at your work with children and teenagers. Learn more about how this research benefits libraries in a June 10, 2008, Library Journal panel discussion Webcast titled Best Practices in Teen Library Services.

Collection Development: Our books on your shelves serve a wide variety of audiences: professionals and parents, coaches and nurses, teachers and mentors, youth workers, and adult patrons who have caring relationships with youth in your neighborhood. Get sample pages of Parenting at the Speed of Teens, Parenting Preteens with a Purpose, Empowering Youth, Engage Every Parent, and How Was Your Day at School?

Ordering Information

Our books are available from wholesalers nationwide and from Independent Publishers Group (800-888-4741, www.ipgbook.com). If you have any questions, or you’d like a review copy or a Search Institute Press trade catalog, contact Bill Kauffmann, Resource Specialist, at 612-692-5527, or billk@search-institute.org.

To learn more about our publishing program visit Search Institute Press.

News Releases

admin — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:01:06 -0600

November-5-2009
Youth Around the World See Spirituality as Important,
Want to Talk About It

A two-year global research project reveals that today’s youth view spirituality as an important part of their lives, though most rarely talk to others about it. Respondents to the far-reaching study, led by Search Institute’s Center for Spiritual Development, included young people from a wide range of cultural and religious backgrounds, spanning 17 countries and six continents.
Download PDF of the press release
Download the study and other information

October-15-2008
Search Institute’s Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence to Present First Public Release on How Youth View Spiritual Development

On November 5 at a pre-conference event leading into the 12th Annual Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth Conference, the CSD will release the results of a three-year global research project, revealing how today’s youth understand and experience spiritual development in their everyday lives.
Download PDF Learn more about the Center for Spiritual Development

September-30-2008
SPARKS: How Parents Can Help Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers by Peter Benson, Ph.D., President and CEO of Search Institute® and a leading authority on childhood and adolescence, describes a simple yet powerful plan for awakening the spark that lives inside each and every young person.
Download PDF Get the book

September-10-2008
Search Institute®, a national leader in discovering what kids need to succeed, hosts its 12th annual Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth® Conference November 6-8 on the theme Igniting Sparks: Connect to Hope. Conference assemblies, learning sessions, hot topics, and pre-conference seminars will provide learning opportunities for every community and education sector.
Read More Visit the website

June-14-2008
Stay Close—Search Institute Book Offers Creative Solutions for Nurturing Long-Distance Relationships between Adults and the Children They Love
Read more

June-01-2008
The 40 Developmental Assets are the subject of a feature article, Making a Difference Using Developmental Assets, in the June 2008 issue of VOYA. VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) is a bimonthly journal addressing librarians, educators, and other professionals who work with young adults. The only magazine devoted exclusively to the informational needs of teenagers, it was founded in 1978 by librarians and renowned intellectual freedom advocates Dorothy M. Broderick and Mary K. Chelton to identify the social myths that keep us from serving young people and replace them with knowledge.
View Download PDF

May-01-2008
Parenting Preteens with a Purpose Friday, May 2, 2008. The article in Gina Chen’s Family Life Notebook column provided information about author Kate Thomsen’s book signing 7 p.m. Thursday, May 8, at Barnes & Noble in DeWitt, NY, and included a quote from the author. The article can be read here.

May-07-2008
Kate Thomsen, M.S., author of Parenting Preteens with a Purpose (Search Institute Press, 9781574821994) will appear on Bridge Street, a local Syracuse, NY, program on ABC affiliate, WSYR Channel 9. Thomsen will be interviewed about her book on May 7. More information…

Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes & Behaviors Survey—Now with Four Core and More!

jennyb — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:23:13 -0500

New from Search Institute Survey Services

Available now!

A comprehensive revision of Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors (A&B), one of our most respected and frequently administered surveys.

The 2008 Attitudes and Behaviors survey includes:

Four Core Measures data required of Drug Free Communities grantees for COMET reporting
Measures of the 40 Developmental Assets
Eight indicators of thriving measures
Risk behaviors and high-risk behavior patterns
Deficit measures

Key survey questions address the Four Core Measures:

Young people’s use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana in the past 30 days
Average age of their first use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana
Youth perception of the risk involved
Youth perception of their parents’ disapproval of substance use

Downloads
Download sample pages of the A&B survey.
Download a Fact Sheet of the A&B survey.
Download an Info Packet from Survey Services
Request a Survey Services Info Packet by mail

Order the A&B survey now!

In your community’s customized A&B survey report, you’ll find a strong link revealed between Developmental Assets, thriving, and risk behaviors, specifically for your youth. The survey report is part of a comprehensive package that includes:

Consultation with SI survey experts
Clear survey administration instructions
A user-friendly report with clearly marked tables and graphs
Professional scanning and processing
A discounted SI resource of your choice

The revised A&B survey report contains the following:

Executive Summary and Four Core Measures pull-out sections
Results by grade level and gender (sample size permitting)
All survey questions and the constructs they measure
Survey response frequencies
Descriptions of Developmental Assets, thriving behaviors, risk behaviors, and deficits, and their relevance to young people in your community
Reference list
List of SI resources for communities, organizations, families, and individuals
FAQs

If you are a DFC grantee and new to the Developmental Assets framework, you’ll be gratified to know that:

Youth who report higher levels of Developmental Assets generally report fewer risk behaviors than peers who report fewer assets
Strong, measurable links exist between youth assets, thriving, and risk behaviors
Measures of Developmental Assets in the A&B survey add value to your prevention efforts
Support for mobilizing communities, organizations, families, and individuals in your prevention work is included in the report appendices

For decades, Search Institute has been a trusted name in helping communities discover how adolescents and teens experience life, using time-tested, reliable surveys that give young people a strong voice.

What’s up with our kids?
Click here to learn more about engaging a professional trainer from Search Institute Training & Speaking to present your A&B survey data to your community.

For more information…
To obtain a copy of the Technical Manual for the A&B survey, receive more information on the survey and survey pricing, or to order the survey, please call or e-mail:

877-240-7251 ext. 1

E-mail Survey Services

Investing in Good Teachers

nathane — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:11:04 -0500

Thanks to my friend Tim Hatfield from Winona State University who sent me this beautiful article from the Winona Daily News titled, Want to Get Lucky? Invest in Teachers.

The article ends with this fantastic quote that could serve as our Thought for the Day:

As Gladwell would say, it’s not just the toil of genius, but the toil of those who seek to foster genius, that brings us our luck.

The Class Size Quandry

nathane — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:39:38 -0500

It’s always instructive when topics that usually cross our paths in a theoretical way or only in headlines actually enter directly into our own experience. I’m smack dab in the middle of one of those moments right now. My third grader’s school just announced that due to budget cuts his class sizes are increasing to 33 next year.

My reaction to this news is wide and varied. First, going from 31 to 33 is sort of like finding out your car blew up but at least they were able to save the hubcaps. Let’s face it – anything in the 30s is much higher than the ideal.

But my reaction to this runs even deeper. Class size is one of those issues most apt to raise the ire of community members and parents. And rightfully so. But if you read education research for a living (as I do) I’m left pondering whether or not this hand wringing is misplaced.

I think back to this article my Malcolm Gladwell that I blogged about in January. In the article, Gladwell writes the following:

Eric Hanushek, an economist at Stanford, estimates that the students of a very bad teacher will learn, on average, half a year’s worth of material in one school year. The students in the class of a very good teacher will learn a year and a half’s worth of material. That difference amounts to a year’s worth of learning in a single year. Teacher effects dwarf school effects: your child is actually better off in a “bad” school with an excellent teacher than in an excellent school with a bad teacher. Teacher effects are also much stronger than class-size effects. You’d have to cut the average class almost in half to get the same boost that you’d get if you switched from an average teacher to a teacher in the eighty-fifth percentile. And remember that a good teacher costs as much as an average one, whereas halving class size would require that you build twice as many classrooms and hire twice as many teachers.

And there’s plenty more research in the academic realm that supports this claim even further.

I KNOW that, so then why does increasing class size still make my brow furrow? First of all, I taught for 12 years. I know the affect that an overstocked classroom had on my teaching, my relationships with students and the profession, and my overall enjoyment of the work. So this is personal.

I also know that more than anything, I want my boys to have really, really good teachers. Ideally, they’d have really, really good teachers with small class sizes. But I want them mostly to have really, really good teachers. This naturally turns my attention away from my own kids and towards the educator. Lost in this conversation about class size is the horrible toll these increases take on the teacher. There is inevitable decreases in positive self-image as educators struggle to perform their job as well as they’d like. There’s decreased daily energy as managing the classroom takes more and more effort. And there’s decreased ability to create positive relationships with young people – the most pivotal and impactful quality of a great teacher.

So as I personally engage in this conversation as it now affects my own children, I know that there’s more to this conversation than simply my own desires for a small class size. I need to seek a mindfulness between good education policy, school funding, leading research, and strong advocacy for the effective intersections of all the above.

Valentine's e-card. The Greatest Asset Is You!

peterh — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:23:29 -0600

Valentine's e-card. Working together to Build Assets!

peterh — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:30:33 -0600

Soul in the classroom

nathane — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:18:23 -0500

I taught a class last night at the University of Minnesota around the general topic of “spirituality in the classroom.” As usual, it’s always a joy to be around college students who are eager to debate, discuss, and engage. We had some interesting conversation.

I started the class by asking them to list their favorite song, movie, book, band, person in the world, and k-12 teacher. And by favorite, I meant “important.” Not their favorite song they have right now, but the one they’d like played at their funeral. THAT kind of important.

Then I had them look at that list and see if they could create a common denominator amongst the separate items. The answers were enlightening. Here’s a sample of some of the connecting themes:

struggle

compassion

a sense of connectedness to something bigger

general “awesomeness”

The elements of their lives and these significant educators shared the ability to clarify the commonness of the human experience and were elemental in their own personal development. The answers hearkened to that deeper sense of importance that comes with teaching. Perhaps it’s a question of “soul.”

We talked about the fact that overt “spirituality” in the classroom is not only risky, it might be a misplaced use of energy. But we did agree that “soulfulness,” that ability to connect learning to a bigger human experience and sense of connection between people should be at the center of education. Certainly as the students reflected on their own favorite teachers, they saw a common thread of educators who were able to expand education far beyond test preparation or basic academic achievement.

One of the students talked about the need for teachers and students to be present and in the moment. We talked about how little of education is ever about the present. Teachers are mindful of upcoming tests. Students are planning for their next year of school or their future. Teachers are leading from one unit to the next. Students are looking forward to prom. Whatever the case, there is always something next, leaving little room for the luxury of being in the moment.

But it was those educators who were able to transcend that constant forward motion and allow themselves and their students to ponder BIG questions and have BIG ideas that had the most lasting affect.

Whether those are spiritual teachers or not, they’re clearly soulful educators. Educators who are able to take the risk, the time, and the bold leap into this soulful space are the ones who will be cited forever by their students as the real difference makers.

Asset building and PBIS

nathane — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:50:31 -0500

For those of you on the listserve, you probably know that we’ve been working for the past few months to research and guide the potentially powerful links between the assets and PBIS (and RTI amongst others).

This work has finally landed as our next Insights and Evidence which I’m co-authoring with Dr. Pat Seppanen. That means within the next couple of months we’ll release our findings that can help schools across the country better merge these two frameworks.

One of my main tasks is to find examples of schools who are already making this merger so that we have strong narrative pieces to the article. So if you’re one of those leading edge schools who have already moved from theory to practice, I want your story!

I’ve talked to a few schools already, so don’t be surprised if some of you are re-contacted.

Drop me a line if you’re available for a conversation. Search Institute needs YOU!

nathane@search-institute.org

Building Assets—Reducing Risks (BARR)

jennyb — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:32:32 -0600

The BARR Program works!

Created by Angela Jerabek, a licensed school counselor Building Assets—Reducing Risks is a successful prevention program specifically designed for the unique challenges of the 9th grade.

Imagine if your school could:

cut failure rates by 50 percent;
increase 9th grade attendance;
decrease tobacco and drug use.

Built on the Developmental Assets framework, the Building Assets—Reducing Risks program will provide you with training, curriculum, “I-Time” manuals, and ongoing support to empower your 9th grade program to:

implement and sustain the Building Assets—Reducing Risks program in your school;
strengthen school-wide relationships among students and teachers;
increase student engagement in school;
meet No Child Left Behind criteria for academic improvement.

The BARR program can be used to assist in the design and implementation of your SLC (small learning communities) grant!

Lay the Foundation for Success

Ninth grade can be a “make-it-or-break-it” year for many students and schools.
Learn more

Learn more about the BARR Program

Download the BARR Powerpoint Presentation for an overview of the program from a January 27 webinar with Angie Jerabek from St. Louis Park High School.

Schedule an on-site visit to St. Louis Park High School to meet with Angie Jerabek, see the program up close, and talk with teachers and staff experienced in implementing this program. Call 800-294-4322 for pricing and to schedule a date.

Download BARR Samples

View the Minnesota Institute of Public Health Evaluation Report

The research-based and successfully tested Building Assets—Reducing Risks (BARR) program is now available to revolutionize your school and sustain positive results!

Make It Happen for Your Students!

It may be hard to believe, but 10 years ago, 44 percent of all 9th graders at St. Louis Park High School were failing one or more of their classes. By the 2005–2006 school year, less than 21 percent were failing one or more classes.

By implementing the BARR program at your school, you can:

create a close-knit support system for 9th graders;
improve relationships between:
- teachers and students;
- students and their peers;
- teachers and their colleagues.
build mutual respect;
enforce school boundaries;
employ strategies on every level: teachers, staff, students, and parents.

Open Enrollment

Attend an upcoming Search Institute BARR Open Enrollment in 2009, date tbd. The first day of the BARR training will provide a program and philosophical overview. On day two, training attendees will meet on-site at St. Louis Park High School for a demonstration of the program and an opportunity to meet with teachers who are experienced in the BARR program.

Bring the BARR Program & Implementation Training to You

Schools or school districts can bring the BARR Program and Implementation Training to their own site. The BARR training is delivered by Search Institute trainers, a highly acclaimed team of speakers and trainers with a high degree of educational expertise and over 100 years of combined experience. To get more information on this event and other trainings hosted by Search Institute, simply complete the Training Questionnaire or call 800-294-4322.

Check out Search Institute’s training Web site for other open enrollment opportunities in 2009!

Marilyn Peplau, Trainer

peterh — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:43:05 -0500

Marilyn “Pep” Peplau
Search Institute Trainer
Home State: Wisconsin

Insights with Marilyn

Professional Expertise
Marilyn Peplau is an educator, speaker, consultant, and trainer with expertise in the areas of:

Developmental Assets
Student assistance programs
Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth initiatives
Asset-building practice in communities

Contributions to Search Institute
As a contract trainer for Search Institute, Peplau serves as a speaker, trainer, and training program designer for organizations (especially schools) and communities interested in building Developmental Assets for and with youth, starting a community-wide asset-building initiative, or creating community change on behalf of youth.

Peplau assisted Search Institute in developing the Building Developmental Assets in School Communities training, and Change of Heart school retreat. With a passion for writing, she’s contributed to countless Search Institute resources, including Great Places to Learn, You Have to Live It, Pass It On, and What Young Children Need to Succeed. Your Classroom: Simple Ways to Create a Positive Learning Climate fulfilled her 7th grade English teacher’s prophecy of writing a book(let) some day!

Major Workshops and Training Programs

Trainer at PIPfests, high schools, community, and state youth conferences (more than 500 training events)
Asset-building presenter at Wisconsin State Superintendents’ Conference
Facilitator of CESA workshops on asset building and resiliency
Lead advisor for natural peer helping program.

Awards and Honors

Wisconsin Secondary School Counselor of the Year
Wisconsin Home Economics Association “New Achiever” Award
Wisconsin Home Economics Association Teacher of the Year
Vision Training Associates’ Outstanding Relationship Building Award

Professional History
In addition to her long-term commitment to New Richmond High School and work with Search Institute, Peplau served as a Teaching and Learning Facilitator at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Master of Education program where she:

Proactively guided teachers pursuing a master’s degree in education as they identify, investigate, and transform their beliefs and practices about teaching and learning
Used the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards as primary content for the incorporation of best practices and theory as part of individual and community-wide learning experiences
Worked collaboratively and cooperatively to develop training and authentic assessments

Former positions include:

26+ years as a high school classroom teacher and guidance counselor in New Richmond, Wisconsin, school community
Guidance counselor for New Richmond High School, New Richmond, Wisconsin
Family/consumer education teacher, New Richmond, Wisconsin

(She also values her middle school coaching experience and one day as a 2nd grade teacher!)

Professional Activities

Member of CESA #11 Assessment Development Team
Charter Member, School Improvement Management Team
Member, National Center for Research in Vocational Education
Member, University of Minnesota “New Design for Comprehensive High Schools”

Community Activities

5-year leader, New Richmond Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth team
Liaison and columnist for weekly newspaper column on assets
St. Croix County’s American Cancer Society “Relay for Life”
Local United Way Board
New Richmond Area Foundation Executive Board Member

Education

Wisconsin Certification in Guidance and Counseling, grades 6–12, University of Wisconsin—River Falls, Wisconsin
M.S., home economics education, University of Wisconsin—Stout, Menomonie, Wisconsin
B.S., home economics education, University of Wisconsin—Stout, Menomonie, Wisconsin

Request Marilyn Peplau for the following trainings by calling Search Institute Training at 800-294-4322 (outside the United States, dial 207-642-6270).

What’s Up with Our Kids?
Everyone’s an Asset Builder
Sharing the Asset Message
Building Developmental Assets in School Communities
Deepening Asset Building in School Communities
Building Developmental Assets in School Communities TOT
Change of Heart: A Student & Staff Asset-Building Retreat (also available as a Training of Trainers event)
Powerful Teaching

Why Baseball Might Be Important

nathane — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:56:42 -0500

For those of you turned off by the over-importance given to sports in our culture, give this post at least a paragraph or two before discarding.

Last night marked one of my favorite days of the year: opening day of Minnesota Twins baseball. An eternal optimist and avid fan, I look forward to opening day because I believe (really) that each year the Twins might win it all. Barring that, I’m happy because I know that opening days marks the beginning of listening to games on the radio while I mow the lawn or sitting with my two sons and my wife at the game, eating hot dogs and having four hours together. What’s not to like?

But this year, baseball might even be important. Frankly, it seems as though our collective default mode has turned to stress and worry. And for good reason. We’re living through a peculiar time, a time that thwaps us on the head and tells us daily that we’re in the midst of something historical and generally scary. From melting polar ice caps to wars abroad to our crippled economy, as soon as we open our brains to a new day, we’ve got a lot to worry about. Give it enough months in this mode, and consternation sort of becomes a daily reality.

So if that’s true, then living life beyond those confines is going to be a choice. Worry is going to find us, so we might have to go find relaxation. Tough times are going to surround us, so we might have to be active in seeking pleasure and release.

That means that what might have once been frivolous can take on increased importance in our experience of these unique times. I think of this when I listen to good music or go for a morning run or spend time with friends or watch my boys play in the backyard. These experiences aren’t luxuries or superfluous. They’re completely critical.

It’s far too easy to think, “With things as they are, how can I take the time to relax?” Or, “I’ve got too much on my mind and too much to do to take the time to hang out with my friends.” Of course, a moment’s pause tells us that it is exactly because things are as they are that we need to increase the quality and amount of these nurturing and fulfilling experiences.

As for me? I’m looking forward to 161 more baseball games and real spring thaw and wearing the base paths bare in my backyard. In “times like these,” how couldn’t I?

Schools as Places to WORK

nathane — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:00:14 -0500

There’s no shortage of conversation being bandied about lately regarding education and the role the economic stimulus package is going to play in schools. People from nearly every sector of society are weighing in on how to best move forward in American education. The sheer variety of suggestions is stupefying, but there is usually one common denominator: almost all these conversations end up discussing the critical need for quality educators.

From various corners of our society we’re hearing a similar refrain: we need to recruit excellent teachers and we need to retain the excellent ones already in the system. Education Secretary Arne Duncan in an article in the Star Tribune said, “We have the young guns coming out of college, the mid-career types in their 30 and 40s and people closer to retirement in their 50s and 60s who have a good 10 more years to work. We need to open the doors to get more of each of these groups into classrooms.”

It is a relief to hear policy makers and influential people focus squarely on how to get the best people into the classrooms. But there’s a critical ingredient missing. No one has mentioned improving schools as workplaces. The conversation thus far is almost entirely about schools as places of learning—but remember: schools are not only places where students go to learn, they’re also places where adults go to work. Unless we create workplace environments that are supportive, empowering, and satisfying, our chances of recruiting and retaining quality educators is sabotaged before we even begin.

One of the interesting side effects of recruiting mid-career educators into the system, as Secretary Duncan suggests, is the natural reciprocity that would occur. People coming from the private sector would have much to teach schools about how to treat their employees. How would someone coming from an entrepreneurial environment react to losing the freedom to innovate and take chances? How would someone from a small company react to being in a system that didn’t reward success and progress? To weekly schedules dominated by meetings? To 20 minute lunches?

Clearly the learning curve for schools would be great.

Our collective hopes for the education stimulus are profound. The amount of change necessary is staggering. And none of this change will occur without the talents, time, and efforts of educators and their leaders. A key piece of our education reform must be an aggressive and creative re-thinking of how schools address the conditions in which educators teach. Make schools better places to work, and students will inevitably have better places to learn.

That’s the conversation I want to hear.

Education Blog

admin — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:14:49 -0600

Nathan Eklund, M.Ed., is a professional speaker and trainer who works with students, teachers, and administrators to seek hopeful solutions to problems in schools.

What would it take to get YOU to teach?

nathane — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:19:26 -0500

I had the privilege of guest lecturing yesterday in a psych class at Macalester College here in St. Paul, MN. What a joy to spend time with students who have self-selected their college, their major, and are paying handsomely for their experiences. Talk about a well-versed and focused group of people!

There were no real parameters on our discussion, but we ended up mostly covering education policy issues and more general questions about society and education.

They had just gotten done reading this article titled What Is the Problem? The Challenge of Providing Effective Teachers for All Children

In the article the writers posit the following:

Perhaps the most urgent problem facing American education, say Murnane and Steele, is the unequal distribution of high-quality teachers. Poor children and children of color are disproportionately assigned to teachers with the least preparation and the weakest academic backgrounds. Teacher turnover is high in schools that serve large shares of poor or nonwhite students because the work is difficult, and the teachers who undertake it are often the least equipped to succeed.

In response to this article, I asked this group of 25 bright, talented, college educated students the following questions:

How many of you are going to become teachers? (2)

How many of you have considered it and have chosen not to? (about 10)

Finally, what’s turning you off to becoming a teacher and what would it take to get you to teach?

Their responses were fantastic. Here’s a sampling:

I don’t want be “just a teacher.”

Lack of freedom to teach controversial content.

Low salaries.

Doesn’t sound like fun.

These were all valid responses, of course. We also discussed the fact that schools don’t sound like very fun places to work. So while getting wrapped up in policy issues, we were all reminded that the very types of people who could (or should) become teachers simply weren’t attracted to the profession.

As I listen to the debate about education reform and how to attract quality teachers, I simply do not hear enough (or any) about how to make schools good places to work. These young people who we desperately need to attract just are not drawn toward schools as a place that looks satisfying.

I’ll post some more about this next week. But as you read the news and follow the national conversation, pay attention to how little the work conditions for educators is discussed. Seems like a massive disconnect to me.

I shall embrace, not fight Twitter

nathane — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:18:47 -0500

Okay. Mea culpa time. You should totally follow me on Twitter.

I’ve been fighting Twitter for a few months now. My brother is a social networking, web strategy, big thinking guru sort of dude. His company does this sort of big picture thinking for companies and they’re really good at it.

For months, Andrew has been saying, “Nate. You need to Twitter.”

And my response has been, “Andrew. No I don’t.”

But recently Andrew and I traveled together to Virginia. (Did we go to see Phish for three days? Perhaps we did, so what’s it to ya?)

It was on that trip that I finally “got” Twitter. The amount of timely, direct, and fluid information throughout those three days that happened because of Twitter was astounding. Upon my return, I started to poke around Twitter a little more.

I figured I’d find little more than “eating burrito for breakfast. yum!” or “stuck in traffic. yuck!” I was wrong. Within the past 48 hours of tweeting (?) I’ve found fantastic blogs, breaking news, scathing commentary about school reform, and much more.

So like fighting CDs because tapes were so cool or resisting the pull of facebook, I now admit that my recalcitrance was misplaced. Tweet on people!

We should all be more like Hollywood

nathane — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:31:58 -0500

He’s known by many names. “The dude with the mullet at Home Depot” is one. That “super nice guy who helps everyone at Home Depot” also suffices. But the name he goes by is “Hollywood.”

Hollywood works at the Home Depot by my house. He’s beloved. His mustache and gray haired mullet make him instantly recognizable. In fact, some months ago there was even an on-line lovefest about him behind his back (scroll down about half way and you’ll find it).

So last night I ran to Home Depot to pick up a washer, some gutter extensions, and a toilet repair kit. While I’m standing there choosing which toilet repair kit to get, Hollywood comes over to lend a hand. I’ve never met him, but he’s helped me plenty of times over the years. After he hooked me up with what I needed, I turned to him and said, “You know man, you’re much beloved in this city.” I proceeded to tell him about that on-line conversation and plenty of others I’ve had with people who have grown to appreciate this guy.

Over the next 30 minutes Hollywood told me his life story. Over the past few years, he’s completely turned his life around. He has gone from being in pretty dire straights to becoming sort of a local icon.

Basically, Hollywood puts it like this: his job is to show up and make sure he’s completely present. He’s living his life and each day in such a way that when he shows up to work, he’s committed to the happiness and experience of his coworkers and the customers. He calls most people “brother” or “sister” (think Hulk Hogan). He gets up an hour and half before each shift to say his prayers, drink a cup of coffee, and get himself ready to go to work with the attitude that HE has chosen to treat people the way HE knows is right.

And because of it, people love him. He and I talked about my book for a while and laughed at how similar we were in our attitudes and beliefs. While my work can sometimes float in the ether of theory, here was a guy absolutely living it. It was a beautiful thing.

As I’m leaving, we gave each other a big embrace right in the toilet repair aisle. He thanked me for taking the time to let him know the esteem people have for him. I thanked him for being Hollywood. As I was walking away, a couple came up looking for help. I heard him say, “Man. That’s Nate. I love that guy!” I felt the same way!

Keep it rolling Hollywood. We should all be a lot more like you.

Are you yourself at work?

nathane — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:32:11 -0500

Last week I had a chance to work with a large group of school administrators in Virginia. We had three hours to spend together and covered a wide range of topics. We mainly focused on creative thinking around common workplace issues.

Toward the end of our time together, however, we spent our time talking about the stress and tension that comes with being in administration, focusing especially on the possible disconnect that can happen between who you are as a person and what is demanded of you in your present professional role. The slide below served as one of the vehicles for our discussion:

As reflected in this slide, each one of us has come into our present work and present role with a host of expectations about who we want to affect and how we want to perform. Regardless of your particular role, you bring to your work a desire to be effective at your work and positively influential on others. However, at times there can be a disconnect between that image we carry of ourselves and the work that we are doing.

At times when that distance is greatest, it’s likely that you’re struggling to remain energized and committed to your work. At times when you’re deeply connected to that sense of self, you’re probably fed by the work in tremendous ways.

The onus then is on each individual to strive toward closing the distance between the best parts of yourself and the work you do. That is not only an institutional charge but also a deeply personal one as well.

While challenging, viewing our work this way ensures that we remain grounded in the very reasons we chose to work where we do, for whom we work, in the ways we work. Few things are as pleasing as a day when we are our very best self at work. May you have many days (starting with today) that falls into that realm.

A Simple Answer to a Complex Question

nathane — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:45:03 -0600

This podcast is my answer to an excellent question I get from teachers quite frequently. Enjoy.
Download the Audio File