Family & Community Alternative Learning
Charter Schools Best Practices

Academy Of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School

Creating Positive School Culture through Character Education

Topics:	School Mission School Culture and Classroom Management Practices Instructional Practices At-risk Learners
Mission:	The mission of Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School is to empower urban students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds to achieve their full intellectual and social potential by combining the best of the East - high standards, discipline and character education with the best of the West - a commitment to individualism, creativity and diversity.
Goals:	Academy of the Pacific Rim is a model school for the Project for School Innovation, an organization founded by the Neighborhood House Charter School to encourage the sharing of best practices between charter and district public schools.
Summary:	Building Character. Academy of the Pacific Rim believes that a key component of its success rests in the school’s ability to cultivate a positive school culture through character education. The school has developed a clear and consistent systems of rewards, discipline, routines, and communication that yield a culture of high expectations, where teachers can focus on teaching, and students can focus on learning while they cultivate character and their critical thinking skills. As a model school for the Project for School Innovation (PSI), Academy of the Pacific Rim (APR) participates in various initiatives to support the sharing of effective school practices, including the By Teachers, For Teachers publication series and the PSI Associates program. The By Teachers, For Teachers publication series provides a set of step-by-step instructions and practical advice for implementing researched and documented best practices in today’s schools. The books are written by teachers and administrators at the schools where the practice was originally conceived and implemented with documented success. Academy of the Pacific Rim teachers developed a book in the By Teachers, For Teachers series titled Building Character. This publication provides educators with specific guidelines and tips on how to create and implement a character education program in support of student learning, including: recognizing positive behavior; counteracting negative behavior; speaking with “one language, one voice” throughout the school; and cultivating character through routines and responsibilities. . PSI Associates are trained educators and consultants who share their schools effective practices among colleagues within their own and other schools. Several teachers from Academy of the Pacific Rim have been trained as PSI Associates.
Partner(s):	Various district partners through Project for School Innovation and the Massachusetts Charter School Association
Dates:	01/01/2002
Contact:	Piel Hollingsworth, Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School (phollingsworth@pacrim.org/617-361-0050, ext. 114) Ruth Feldman, Project for School Innovation (rfeldman@psinnovation.org/617-825-0703 ext. 3290)
Resources:	Building Character (www.psinnovation.org/what_we_do/dissemination/books/building_character) Customized Workshops and School Visits facilitated by PSI Associates and the Project for School Innovation
Federal Charter Schools Program Funds?	Yes

Back to Best Practices List