August 8, 2017
There’s no question that improving our education system is a complicated, multifaceted challenge. But are still small, simple steps that we can take to improve the day-to-day experience of students and educators. For instance, what if schools made a commitment to encourage kindness each and every day?
Enter the Middle School Kindness Challenge. Developed with the support of Stand for Children, AASA, NASSP, CCSSO, AFT and a host of other leading education organizations, the Challenge seeks to encourage kindness campaigns in middle schools across the country. This isn’t mere fluff: research shows that schools that intentionally and systematically foster kindness help reduce suspensions and drive students towards success in school and life.
So how does the Challenge work? Over the course of any continuous four week period between August 26th and November 21st, schools commit to implementing a kindness campaign using free best-in-class, readily doable activities to teach, foster and celebrate kindness. The campaign is split in to three phases:
- Stepping Up to the Plate
- Loading the Bases with Kindness
- Bringing it Home
Not only are the resources free of charge, but the first 500 schools that complete the Challenge will receive a $500 Donors Choose credit for books, instructional materials, or school supplies of their choosing—as well as be entered in a drawing for a $10,000 credit—and all completing schools will earn a special badge on GreatSchools.org.
For more information and to register, visit https://kindschoolsproject.org/. Good luck to all participants, and thanks to those who developed the Challenge for addressing such an important issue.
