Eugene Field has been awarded tens of thousands of dollars in training through FranklinCovey’s I Am A Leader Foundation, beginning June 26-28.

The renewable grant—valued at just under $30,000 the first year and $8,500 in year two—assures the elementary school will obtain ‘lighthouse status’ under The Leader in Me initiative, a designation attained by only a single school in Missouri, if annual benchmarks are met.

The teaching philosophy is based on Dr. Stephen Covey’s best-selling book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” which Eugene Field Principal Jennifer Taylor read, then informally introduced to the school a year and a half ago.

“The ‘7 Habits’ literally changed my life; how I saw myself in different roles—from mother, wife, principal, et cetera—and how important it is to achieve the ‘private victory,’’’ Taylor wrote in her grant proposal approved on May 15. “When I read ‘The Leader in Me,’ I was able to envision how the process can transform a building’s culture.”

The professional development will allow Taylor to complete her three-prong strategy of successfully reforming the elementary school, which was classified on the state’s school improvement list when she took her administrative post four years ago. Missouri Assessment Program scores have already improved by 20 percent in both reading and math for all subgroups, and Adequate Yearly Progress has been met as a result of the Positive Behavior and Intervention Supports plus the Response to Intervention instructional systems.

“PBIS has allowed us to establish consistent expectations for student behavior,” explained Taylor, who has been with the district for 15 years. “Through what we refer to as Walk to Read and Math, we recognize positive behavior and provide intervention where needed. The Leader in Me will help us really individualize, empowering each student to develop personal accountability, responsibility and leadership.”

Taylor has attended several Leadership Days at participating schools throughout the country with her colleagues and began consulting with a FranklinCovey company official earlier this year to discuss funding options.

Eugene Field will be responsible for about $6,000 annually for materials over the next five years, which Taylor intends to finance through a combination of professional development committee funds, Parent Teacher Organization fundraisers and community sponsorships. The first year’s match will be covered mostly by a $5,000 innovation educational project grant from the Poplar Bluff Public School Foundation.

According to a recent survey conducted at Eugene Field, there was a 100 percent buy-in to pursue full implementation of the initiative from certified and classified staff alike, including fourth grade teacher Pam Heaton, who previously worked as training coordinator at Gates Rubber Company, which subscribed to The Leader in Me.

Under the formal program, all students grades 1-4 will set academic, attendance, behavioral and personal goals each quarter and track their progress in notebooks. Through experimentation during the 2012/13 school year, various interest groups emerged among Eugene Field third and fourth graders such as the announcers and teaching assistants, along with art, basketball, computer, music, reading, writing, math and even physics clubs.

In April, the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce held its monthly First Friday Coffee at the 5th & 6th Grade Center—the other school in the district piloting the initiative—where students wowed the audience with their presentation of the seven habits.

Prior, Chamber President Steve Halter visited Stanton Elementary in St. Louis, Missouri’s first lighthouse school out of less than two dozen schools working toward the designation, and stated he enjoys that the initiative focuses on 21st century life skills.

“I love the fact that they recognized that our current education must evolve and show continuous improvement,” said Halter, noting that as a believer of the philosophy his favorite habit is to ‘sharpen the saw.’ “There were kindergarten and grade school students that led the entire program and spoke more eloquently than most adults I know.”

Cat Williams-Sharp, the parent of a Eugene Field graduate, testified how the leadership qualities taught to her daughter have even seeped into their home lives. Madison, 10, now speaks her opinion in a respectful manner and completes her chores early so she has more time to play.

“She will try to talk out a situation to find the best solution so that everyone is happy. I hear her say often, ‘We have to think win-win,’” Williams-Sharp explained. “She also has started planning ahead, which she says is beginning with the end in mind.”

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Cutline: Maraleigh Buss leads first grade teacher Kelli Spitze’s math class while KFVS12 Reporter Holly Brantley films for a news segment about Eugene Field Elementary School’s teaching assistants, a product of The Leader in Me.