Portsmouth Public Schools
Character in Education

Contact Information: Kevin Brown, Project Director
Portsmouth Public Schools
S. H. Clarke Building
2801 Turnpike Rd.
Portsmouth, VA 23707
Web site: None
Grant Period: 2006-2010
Amount Requested: $1,645,693 for a four-year project

Program Description
Portsmouth Public Schools, in partnership with Old Dominion University, will implement a multi-faceted character education project. The Second Step violence prevention curriculum will be used in all classrooms grades K-6 and grades 7-8 social studies classes. The project will provide character education field trips and offer a two-week summer leadership camp for the most at-risk rising eighth-grade students. Project Uplift alternative education program for long-term suspended and expelled students in grades 7-12 will assist with transition back into the school setting by using the All Stars curriculum and involving its students in community service. Portsmouth Public Schools will stress professional development using a model entitled Making the Connection Between School Climate and Academic Outcomes. The project will achieve sustainability through web-based training and the train-the-trainer approach, and will involve the community through a yearly Character Education Expo. The project will serve approximately 11,000 students in grades pre-K through 8 and 500 teachers and staff in 17 schools.

Goals and Objectives

• To implement a systemic, structured character development program embedded in classroom instruction that will serve as a continuum for grades Pre-K through 8
• To prevent the emergence of behavioral and academic problems and reduce the severity of existing problems in students
• To provide a research-based character education professional development model

Evaluation Design
Portsmouth will use a quasi-experimental design with randomized control research design, multi-method outcomes measurements, pre-post findings, and follow-up assessment to evaluate effectiveness of the intervention.