“Our kids understand the importance of being on
time. We’re extremely successful with that,” Mr.
Durbin said.
Senior seminars provide the opportunity to consider personal values and long-term goals. Many
students have cited the seminars as their most
important high school experience, providing
direction and focus for life after high school, Mr.
Durbin said.
The results that character education delivers are
difficult to measure. The impact of interventions in
the early grades won’t be measurable for several
more years. But in the meantime, positive results are
readily apparent and closely tied with academic
gains. Teacher feedback to the district reports that
kids now interact with one another and instructional
materials at a more mature level, a result that Mr.
Durbin notes is “braided together” with the state’s
academic standards requiring kids to think, write,
and express themselves well. Mr. Durbin is proud
that his district is ranked 15th highest in the state of