IMPLEMENTATION OF RACHEL’S CHALLENGE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY ANALYZING THE IMPACT OF THE CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM ON RESILIENCY, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY IN A SUBURBAN HIGH SCHOOL A Dissertation Submitted to The Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION by Lynne Blair May 2014 Examining Committee Members: Dr. Joan P. Shapiro, Advisory Chair, Educational Leadership Dr. Steven J. Gross, Educational Leadership Dr. Joseph DuCette, Educational Psychology Dr. Michelle Chaplin Partlow, Psychological, Organizational, and Leadership Studies Dr. Portia Hunt, Counseling Psychology ABSTRACT This qualitative case study examines the impact of a character education program, Rachel’s Challenge, in a high school to determine if the implementation of the program promotes resiliency, improves school culture, and supports an increased sense of community within the school. I examine, in rich detail, a suburban high school which implemented Rachel’s Challenge, and the research thoroughly formulates a description of the school prior to the implementation of the program and following the implementation of the program to determine the impact of the character education initiative on the school’s culture, the resilience development of the school community members, and the sense of community within the institution. I collected the data in a suburban high school located in a Mid-Atlantic state. Limiting my study to one school provided me the necessary and advantageous opportunity to gain a rich description of the possible impacts of the program while also allowing me to deeply immerse myself into the realities of the participants. In-depth interviews were carried out with students, parents, counselors, administrators, and teachers to gain a rich understanding of any need for and value of the program and of any impacts of the program on the school’s culture, the development of resilience, and a sense of connection and community. Constructs of Turbulence Theory are used to dissect the value of the character education program; I examined what need induced the implementation of the program in the school community and any positive impacts of the program on the school culture, resilience development, and sense of connection and community. Constructs of Resilience Theory are used, as it has been applied to ii individuals and organizations, to analyze the possible impact of the character education program on the resilience levels within the school community. Interviews were carried out with the various key players within the high school who offered a wide interpretation of the effects of the character education program on the overall school culture and the level of resilience within the school community. A thorough document review was also carried out to further explore any impacts of the program on school culture, resilience development, and sense of community to clarify and further add to the interviews. The data provides educational leaders with a practical understanding of the impact of character education, namely the Rachel’s Challenge program, on school culture and the development of resilience within a school community to help leaders formulate a value of its implementation in their schools. The research provides evidence that the Rachel’s Challenge program did improve school culture in this particular school by encouraging a community built on acceptance, inclusion, kindness, respect, and compassion. The program encouraged pro-social behavioral changes within the school as well as promoted an anti-bullying message to the members of the school community. The research also provides evidence that the Rachel’s Challenge program did promote the development of individual and community resilience at this particular school as demonstrated by an enhanced ability to stand up against peer pressure as well as the promotion of strength in the face of adversity and a sense of connection and unity within the school community. iii DEDICATION I dedicate this work to Rachel Scott. Rachel’s legacy will forever live on and her faith in the power of a chain reaction of kindness and compassion carries on in others the very moment one learns of her story. Rachel is truly an inspiration and she befriended students who were marginalized, she spread compassion and believed in random acts of kindness directed towards strangers, she believed in the good nature of humanity, she dared to dream and was empowered by her vision of a kinder world, and she was relentless in her pursuit to challenge the status quo of selfishness, bullying, exclusion, and isolation. Rachel believed in a world where love and kindness can triumph and prevail and through learning her story, so do I. I also dedicate this work to my Dad and chief editor, George J. Blair (1942-2012). My Dad passed away before I completed this process, but his support throughout was consistent and unconditional. This paper discusses the importance of resilience and my Dad modeled strength and resilience in both his life and throughout his illness that I can only hope to emulate. His theory was that all we need to be strong are the four Fs—faith, family, friends, and fortitude. He told me to trust in a power much bigger than myself, value the love we have all around us, and always remain dedicated to learning all the lessons that both the good and the bad experiences entail. My Dad’s strong sense of hope always really inspired me and thinking about it will continue to keep him alive in my heart. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the members of the school community in which I did my research. The students, parents, teachers, administrators, and counselors graciously supported my efforts and shared their thoughts and perspectives about the value of this program in their school and in their overall character development. I am grateful for their time and candidness. I would especially like to thank LC, who went above and beyond in her efforts to organize the interviews and model Rachel Scott’s way of random acts of kindness and helping someone for no other reason than to be kind. LC has already done extraordinary things in her work and she is inspirational to so many. Her relentless dedication to her students and her genuine good heart are impossible to describe. I would like to thank the members of the Scott Family, especially Darrell Scott. Rachel’s vision of a positive chain reaction has continued beyond the length of her lifetime and that is in no small part due to the efforts of her family. After the horrific loss of his daughter, Darrell was faced with a level of grief that is incomprehensible to most of us. Darrell’s daring choice to find forgiveness in his heart and use the violence of April 20, 1999, as a catalyst to promote a democratic and dynamic vision in schools across the world through his creation of the Rachel’s Challenge program is absolutely epic and heroic. He defines, for me, what it takes to be an educational leader. I would like to thank my family and friends for their support as well. To my Mom, thank you for being my biggest cheerleader and for never losing your own drive to keep me motivated and positive throughout this process. You have always believed in me more than I have believed in myself and I could not have gotten here without your v support. To my sister, Patty, thank you for believing in me and helping me move along in my professional accomplishments. And to my niece, Zoe, because of you I am really passionate about character development in schools because I want you to have a life filled with kindness and compassion and overall goodness because that is who you are to your core. I love you all. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................x CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .........................................................................................5 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................8 Research Questions ..................................................................................................9 Definitions..............................................................................................................10 Delimitations and Limitations of This Study .........................................................11 Significance of This Study .....................................................................................13 Theoretical Base.....................................................................................................16 Turbulence Theory .....................................................................................16 Resilience Theory ......................................................................................28 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .............................................................................31 Individual Resilience .............................................................................................31