Smart & Good High Schools - The Flippen Group

Research Methodology and Criteria for Promising PracticesCRITERIA FOR PROMISING PRACTICES1. EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE◆ Experimental validation. Experimental researchhas shown the educational practice to be effective;students who experience this practice aresuperior on some measure(s) of performancecharacter or moral character compared tothose who do not experience the practice.◆ Pre-post differences. Students show improvementon some character measure(s) after experiencingthe practice, although there is nocomparison group.◆ Experimental support from other developmentallevels. Though the practice hasn’t yet beenempirically evaluated at the high school level, ithas been shown to be effective at the elementary,middle, or post-secondary levels.◆ Support from correlational research. Researchfinds a positive association between students’experience of the practice and some desirablecharacter outcome.◆ Link to a mediating variable. The practice fostersa variable, such as a sense of community,that has been shown to mediate positive characteroutcomes.2. RELEVANCE AND FACE VALIDITY(USUALLY USED IN COMBINATION WITH OTHERCRITERIA)◆ Relevance to important adolescent outcomesand face validity. The practice is relevant toone or more of the eight developmental outcomes(e.g., diligent and capable performer,respectful and responsible moral agent, democraticcitizen) in our study and also has facevalidity, based on our direct observation of thepractice and/or our professional judgment(informed by a combined 45 years of experiencein the field of moral/character education).We judged practices to have face validity, forexample, if they demonstrated strong potentialto stimulate students’ thinking, engage them instriving for excellence, motivate them to moralaction, and so on.◆ Relevance to important school outcomes andface validity. The practice is relevant to importantschool outcomes (e.g., improved academicperformance and graduation rates and reductionof bullying, discipline problems, and sexualactivity) and has face validity.3. THE TESTIMONY OF CREDIBLESOURCES (USUALLY USED IN COMBINATIONWITH OTHER CRITERIA)◆ External recognition. The practice or programhas received an award for excellence from acredible educational organization (e.g., NationalSchool of Character Award, U. S. Departmentof Education Blue Ribbon SchoolsAward, National Service Learning Award).◆ Practitioner testimony. Teachers, school leaders,or other practitioners testify to the effectivenessof the practice, based on their experiencewith it.◆ Testimony of students. Students say this practicehas positively impacted their performancecharacter and/or moral character.xxivSmart & Good High Schools