Education
IMPORTANT!
The deadline for submitting an application to participate in the Because It Matters - Community of Caring project for the 2008-09 school year has passed.
For information on applying for the 2009-10 school year, please email schools@becauseitmatters.net.
We are pleased to provide your school with an opportunity to participate in a school-wide implementation of Community of Caring, an initiative designed to increase the quality and success of your students, teachers, and school staff. The Because It Matters – Community of Caring Project (“Project”) is being implemented by the National Center for Community of Caring and will be funded by Gulf Coast Community Foundation as part of the Because It Matters civility initiative. More than 40 elementary, middle, and high schools in Sarasota and Charlotte Counties will be eligible to participate in the Project over the course of its four-year life.
The Project is aimed at changing the school culture through the incorporation of the core ethical values of caring, respect, responsibility, trust, and family into the fabric of the school. Selected schools will be divided into three cohorts of up to fourteen schools each. Cohort one could begin program implementation as early as Spring 2008, and one cohort will be added each year. Evaluative work will begin in all schools in Spring 2008.
Gulf Coast Community Foundation will provide each participating school with:
- Significant professional development and on-going support from the Community of Caring national office
- A one-day training on Community of Caring implementation for school personnel
- Funding for one lead teacher to attend the Community of Caring annual national conference during each school’s first year of implementation.
- Sustained support for Community of Caring along with school evaluation over the course of project involvement
- A stipend of $1,000 ($250 per quarter) for one lead teacher per school during the school’s participation in the project
- An incentive of $250 for schools’ participation in each yearly administration of the student, teacher, and staff evaluations
- Up to $500 per school to purchase program related materials during the school’s participation in the project
- Recognition for participation in a national school improvement research project
Expectations of schools:
- Selection of and support for a school leadership team, headed by the principal
- Logistical support for and full participation in the required staff in-service professional development events
- Logistical assistance for and participation in required program evaluation activities, including parent consent
We hope it is your choice to participate in this important project. If you have any questions, please contact schools@becauseitmatters.net.
