2012 SCORE Prize Winners: Embracing High Standards | Page 9

establishes a tradition for achieving one’s
personal best academically, emotionally, and
socially. We shall accomplish our mission by
fostering civic virtue, cooperation, responsibility,
encouragement, accountability, trust, equity, and
flexibility.
The focus on relationships extends to children’s
families as well. School leaders know every parent,
take steps to become familiar with and understand
each family’s circumstances, and do what they can
to help. “You have to see the whole child, and you
have to do things consistently,” Wilson said. “We
see learning as a shared responsibility. We want to
understand the home environment, every child’s
learning style, all of the issues they are dealing with.
We want the parents to feel included and to work
on issues with us. We really are all in this together.”

EMBRACING HIGH STANDARDS
The school sets high expectations for interpersonal
relationships, individual effectiveness, and academic results for the adults and students in the building.
Leaders believe learning starts with a positive environment rooted in a strong school culture. That culture must embrace a shared approach to classroom
engagement and management, a common instructional framework, and a set of clear expectations
for both behavioral and academic performance.
Students are then expected to give their best.
Keys to behavioral excellence. “Expect the Best” is
John Sevier’s classroom engagement and behavior
management approach. Working from the Quantum
Keys for Excellence, a character education program of Learning Forum International, teachers use
common language and reinforcement techniques.
During the first few weeks of school, teachers explicitly teach the keys of excellence and then incorporate them throughout all aspects of the student
environment and curriculum. The notion of behavioral “keys” takes on concrete meaning at John Sevier—students collect actual keys for their personal
key ring. The keys, donated from local locksmiths,
community members, teachers, and families, can
be given at any time by any adult in the building
(including teachers, staff members, custodians, and
food service workers) who sees a student demonstrating one of the eight keys of excellence.
According to teachers and leaders, the shared
approach to positive behavior has created more
coherence in the building. Adults use a common
vocabulary to define and reinforce expectations.
The same expectations and protocols apply in every

classroom and hallway. “The keys are a good way
for us to establish ground rules, but more than that,
they represent the kinds of v alues we want to see in
our children,” one teacher said.
Teachers also give Paw Print Awards to students
whose behavior is in line with the school’s expectations. Students’ names appear on the school’s
electronic bulletin board and in announcements
and their pictures are posted in the front hallway.
Students get a prize and a certificate, and, each
month, all of the winners are invited to eat lunch
with the principal and assistant principal.
School leaders and teachers are held to high
expectations for their behavior and interactions
as well. For example, the school has procedures
in place to help facilitate constructive feedback
among teachers. Teachers ask questions to seek
understanding, explore alternatives for better
teaching options, and find the best fit for their styles.
Leaders provide feedback privately to prevent
public embarrassment. In meetings, adults listen
actively and try to understand the rationale for practices or procedures before giving opinions. Leaders
have found that this expectation has led to a good
balance between valuing instructional practices of
veteran teachers and incorporating the perspectives of novice teachers.

QUANTUM KEYS
OF EXCELLENCE
commitment: Finish what you start.
balance: Balance needs and wants.
failure leads to success: It’s okay to make
mistakes. Just learn from them.
flexibility: Be willing to change.
integrity: Do the right thing.
ownership: I am in charge of what I think,
say, and do. I am responsible for ME!
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