Mueller Charter School

School Counseling Program: Classroom Guidance Results

Nathan LockeMarcela Munoz

What did we do?• Presented in all four 5th grade classes

(120 students)• Two part lesson

– 45 minutes – Two consecutive days

• November and December of 2007

Guidance Curriculum Topics

– Developing a positive body image • Influence of peers and media• Recognizing negative and positive

messages• Identifying positive characteristics in

yourself• Learn strategies to deal with verbal

bullying and conflict in school.

Goals of the Lesson

Two of the goals of this lesson were:

1. To increase students’ acceptance of their body.

2. Acquire strategies to deal with verbal bullying and conflict in school.

National Standard

Personal / Social A •Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and interpersonal skills to help them understand and respect themselves and others

Student Competency

A1.1 - develop attitudes toward self as a unique and worthy person.A1.4 – understand change as a part of growth.A1.10 – identify personal strengths and assets.A2.3 – recognize, accept, respect, and appreciate individual differences.

(California Healthy Kids Survey, 2007)

Why are we teaching this?

• 47% - Students being teased because of the way they look

• 49% - Students who do not feel comfortable with their bodies

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Comfortable with body Teased about body

Yes

No

Research tells us “Students who are teased about their body can

become isolated from friends and school and become vulnerable to risky behaviors.” (CHKS,2007)

The Search Institute (2008) has found that students who grow up to be responsible and caring adults have many of the 40 research-based developmental assets. Two that we built on are: 1.Personal conflict resolution skills 2.A positive self-image

Research says

– Achievement Related Data: Poor conflict resolution skills and risky behaviors leads to behavior referrals.

– Achievement Data: Which in turn may lead to failing classes and/or dropping out of school.

What do they BELIEVE?

Pre• 59% Disagreed

or Strongly Disagreed with the statement

Post• 77%

Disagreed or Strongly

Disagreed with the statement

“I believe real beauty should be measured by the shape of models and actors in magazines and on television.”

Belief Question: “I believe real beauty should be measured by the shape of models and actors

in magazines and on television.”

05

1015202530354045

StronglyDisagree

Disagree Agree StronglyAgree

PrePost

What do they BELIEVE?

Pre• 35% of students

strongly agreed

Post• 52% of students

strongly agreed

“ I feel comfortable with the shape of my body”

Attitude question: I feel comfortable with my body

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Stronglyagree

Agree Disagree StronglyDisagree

Pre Post

Skills Question

• 49% identified proper strategies

• 85% identified proper strategies

Pre Post

Students were given a conflict case scenario and then asked to identify one correct strategy to deal with the situation.

Students who can identify anti-bullying strategies

49

85

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Pre

Post

• This is a 73% increase!

Results: Behavior Referral Rates

28

19

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Behavior Referrals

Fall 2007

Spring 2008

This is a decrease of 47% !

Implications / Limitations

• Using developmentally appropriate visuals.

• Having the lesson over two consecutive days.

• Pre-Post test contained idioms that students may not have understood and could not be translated.

• Students showed that they already knew some of the definitions that we spent time during the lesson re-teaching.

Recommendations • Align the objectives and activities of the

lesson to grade level standards. • Give pre-post test to a sample group before

administering to the class.• Consider a school wide individual differences

celebration.• Consider a school wide conflict resolution

program.

Next Steps

• We need to wait for Spring 2008 CHKS data results.

• We will analyze and report the results ASAP.

The school counseling program is contributing in a meaningful

way to the personal development and academic

achievement of all students.

Thank you for your support

“Our Children Will Change the World”

Reference• California healthy kids survey:

Technical report for Mueller Charter (Spring 2007). WestEd.