Charleston Progressive Academy (CPA) is helping all students develop the world class skills expected in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Our school’s mission, “Building Tomorrow’s Leaders,” supports active engagement as we implement Franklin Covey’s Leader in Me (LIM) initiative. LIM provides opportunities that encourage critical thinking, collaboration and communication as it teaches the 7 Habits of Effective People in a student-friendly language, and is directly aligned with the world class skills of the South Carolina Graduates. Habits 1-3 in LIM: be proactive, begin with the end in mind, and put first things first are the components of World Class Knowledge in the Profile of South Carolina Graduate. Habits 4 – 6: think win, win, seek first to understand and then to be understood, synergize, and sharpen the saw are components of the World Class Skills in the Profile.
Although the 2020-21 school year has been full of scheduling and attendance challenges due to the COVID Pandemic, CPA navigated them successfully. By February 2021, 95% of our student population was engaged in face to face instruction. The school implemented safety measures this year to mitigate the spread of COVID within the building and to provide a safe and healthy environment for students and staff. For example, plexiglass was installed in all classrooms, and social distancing was practiced during transitions (arrival, dismissal, and meal time). No students opted out of the mask mandate, high traffic areas were sanitized twice a day, after arrival and after lunch and school visitors were limited to essential business, while still accommodating our parents virtually. Despite all of these safety measures, we experienced positive increases in students’ feeling of school belonging (58 to 77%), student growth mindset (32 to 52%), student self-efficacy (60 to 75%), student public speaking (44 to 55%), and school family partnerships in social emotional learning (0 – 78%) from the previous school year (2019-2020) according to our LIM Measurable Results Assessment (MRA) data. This survey measures attitudes and behaviors of staff, students, and parents in Leader in Me Schools. I absolutely attribute these increases to safety measures that were implemented and the initiatives that we were able to implement under LIM.
Although the data focuses heavily on the social emotional status of CPA, during this school year in the midst of a pandemic, our data shows that the strategies put in place gave parents and students a sense of security. Our goal is to continue to effectively incorporate programs that align with the world class skills outlined in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.
As the first school in Charleston County to become a LIM Lighthouse School, we will continue to offer various leadership opportunities that exemplify collaboration, critical thinking, and communication. This will ensure development of world class skills to increase the readiness for students at CPA. As educators, we know nothing is possible without the support of our parents and the community. We thank you for your continued support as we move into a school year focused on closing both academic and social gaps brought on by the Pandemic, while continuing to “Build Tomorrow’s Leaders!”
Wanda Wright-Sheats, Principal
Tamashia Flowers, School Improvement Council, Chairperson
