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Q:
How do we know that these are the skills our students need
to learn?
A:
First of all, tell us what YOU think students should be learning. We'll include your
thoughts in our next survey results document. Then
take a look at the results of our surveys of
school board
members and school administrators and
teachers.
Q: What is the best way
to implement the program?
A:
8 to Great
is amazingly flexible. Some schools use it throughout the
year as activities for
advisories/homerooms.
Because there are 8 High-Ways, it works well to do one
High-Way a month, and then use May as celebration/ awards/
recap month. Other schools use it with just one course, as
part of a Senior Seminar semester or an incoming Freshman Orientation
program to build basic life
skills for what’s ahead. Still others use it as a one-day retreat, or part of their
Alternative Ed program.
See a partial list of schools
and programs that use 8
to Great.
Q: If it is used in
homerooms/advisories, who teaches it?
A:
If the entire school implements the program, each homeroom
teacher is simply asked to follow the scripted activities.
Even substitutes enjoy doing the activities with students.
As long as there is at least 20 minutes of class time, the
activities are interactive and fun!
"I prepared binders
for the advisory staff from the Handbooks and they do
4 20-minute activities each week. They like that they
don’t have to prepare, they just teach. I also love
the positive reactions from the students. Yesterday at
Cross Country one student said, "Coach, I really liked
our class today. It meant something to me." Now the
parents are asking me to write a column based on this
program. It's amazing!"
- Rick Marez, Gering HS Counselor
Q: Which grade level is
it best for?
A:
The program was originally written for juniors and seniors
in high school. Out of over 4,000 students in those pilot
programs, 99% recommended the program be offered again the
following year. Many suggested it be “required for
graduation"! Then, soon we were asked to offer it to
other grades, including the middle school students. The
success that schools are finding in middle schools is one
more testimonial to the universality and flexibility of
8 to Great.
Q: What do we
do if a faculty member is reluctant?
A:
We know some of that happens with every program. A
program like
8 to Great
is
only as strong as its teachers. If
you implement the program with a large class or
an entire school, our suggestion is to put those one or
two teachers in a special location such as the library,
then send students who are acting out to the library
(just for that one period.) It’s often the case that
those students are having a really hard time and are
afraid to talk or write about what‘s bothering them.
Also having a counselor on hand in the library to talk
one-on-one with those students has worked really well.
Q: What research do you
have to support student success?
A:
While we have begun studies to show long-term
improvements, we’re finding very few programs offer this
kind of research. (In fact, if you know of one, let us
know!) Most of our research is anecdotal. We have
thousands of grateful student letters to us available upon
request.
However, there has been
independent research on
8 to Great
done by the University of
Nebraska. In a year long study, they found that students
improved in 11
Key
areas! For a copy of that research, contact us at
mk@8togreat.com.
With the new laws, studies
require schools to get so many parent permissions that
they hesitate to begin long-term research. What
8 to
Great can offer is an amazing pre-test and
post-test (see the home page of this website). Schools
wanting to validate improvements will see that no
students pass the pre-test and almost all ace the
post-test. Why? Because the skills make sense, are simple
and relevant, and are therefore
used!
Q: What kind of follow-up
do you offer?
A:
Many schools are choosing 8 to Great
because of
the great follow-up and support provided. Some of
our follow up resources include:
-
A “Key-Mail” to faculty
members each month (free)
-
A new
"Activity-of-the-Month" (free)
-
Follow-up
sessions by MK Mueller or one of her Certified Trainers
-
Videos, CD's,
music, posters, and speaker ideas
-
Free e-mail
coaching to all faculty and students by MK or one
of her Certified Trainers
Q: How does
8 to Great
compare to programs such as
Strengths Finders©, Character Counts©
or The Renaissance
Program©?
A:
8 to Great
is the perfect compliment to StrengthsFinders© or
any program that helps students know their gifts, a component that is not included in
8 to Great.
We teach
a positive attitude definition, resilience,
communication skills or a decision-making formula.
As for Character Counts©, our research shows that
it is focused on rewarding students who exhibit certain
behaviors. Rather than listing end results and rewarding
“what it looks like when you have it,”
8 to Great
offers clear definitions and processes for how to help
every student find it within themselves. It is
the difference between internal motivation (8
to Great)
and external.
To learn about ways that
8 to Great
works perfectly
with the Renaissance Program,
click here.
Q: How does the training
work?
A:
8
to Great offers a variety of training options:
1. There
are three-day intensive training sessions held in Omaha. A
school may decide to send 2-3 teachers, counselors or
administrators to the Institute, which is held every few
months.
2. MK
Mueller can come to your team. If you have 8-10 people who
you want to have trained, she can come to your location
and offer the 3-day training.
3. MK can
come in for a faculty in-service. This is best offered
either two half days (one each semester) or one full day
in order to cover all 8 High-Ways. Faculties love the fact
that they start using the material in their own lives
immediately!
Q:
What are the costs for the program?
A:
Pricing for the curriculum is listed on the
products page. Please
call 1-800-419-0444 for pricing for trainings and
speaking engagements.
Q:
Are there curriculum threads for subject areas such as
English and Social Studies?
A:
We have dozens of suggestions for projects and papers
incorporating the High-Ways into subject areas. These are
available upon request. Simply tell us the age of the
students.
More
questions? Email us at
info@8toGreat.com or call (800) 419-0444.
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