girls rock for tim

8/22/2019 Girls Rock for Tim

1/29

An 8 week curriculum designed to build positive self-image for girls entering middles school and to

increase girls sense of belonging in school and the greater community.

Kathlene Simpson


2/29

Dedication

To all girls and women, believe in yourselves, love yourselves, and care for yourselves and each other.


3/29

Acknowledgements

This project could not have been completed without the following people and organizations.

My colleagues in the Pacific Lutheran University Instructional Leadership Program who providedme with feedback, ideas, suggestions and challenged me to grow.

My professors who believed in me and inspired me to do this work. My children and family who supported me throughout the process. Anissa and Teresa for assistance, coordination, patience and support. The local Parent Teacher Association. The families and girls from my school. Heidi Larsson, MA LHMC for insight, opportunity and support. Rebecca Clark Regional CBNE Planner (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclearn and High-

Yield Explosives) for volunteering and sharing her career story.

Season and Dojo 3 for volunteering Zumba instruction and mentoring. Rochelle for volunteering to teach goal setting and mentoring girls. Shannon and the local Fire Department for volunteering to mentor and share career

information.

Teresa for mentoring girls and sharing her career story. Tina for mentoring girls and sharing her career story. Becky for supporting the group through ASB. Genie for sharing her knowledge and support. DAWN, Domestic Awareness Womens Network, for their support.


4/29

Abstract

In this project I created an 8 week curriculum for girls. Girls Rock is a curriculum for girls

entering middle school. It is intended to:

Increase Community & Family Involvement Increase positive self-image Create a support system for girls and families Create a feeling of community Build a culture of respect and positive relationships

I studied the effects of the curriculum on the girls who attended most of the sessions

including those that attended the first group and the end group. I used pre- and post-

evaluations for the girls, I used post evaluations for the families, I used anecdotal

information from teachers and I collected academic achievement data in my study.

I created the Girls Rock curriculum to meet the needs of our school improvement plan

as well as to increase student connectedness with the school and the greater

community. Our school and our district have Improvement Plans which include Equity

and Access components. Girls Rock meets the need for a portion of the equity and

access needs in our community.

My motivation for creating Girls Rock was also impacted by my personal connection to

domestic violence, the loss of one of our own girls to a violent relationship while in high

school and my desire to be proactive in this work. Increasing girls positive self image

and positive relationships in their school and community reduces the incidence of high


5/29

risk behaviors later in life such as dropping out of school, drug use, bullying and dating

violence.


6/29

Introduction

Fred Nelsen Middle School has a school improvement plan (sip) which includes an equity

and access component. The intended desire is to:

Increase positive responses on parent surveys Increase positive responses by students on surveys including feelings of

belonging

Increase connections between students and community Each student will be valued, connected, and achieving---no barriers.

In order to meet the goal:

Each student will be valued, connected, and achieving---no barriers.

Students, staff and parents will respond to survey questions 75% of the time thatNelsen is a caring, respectful, learning community.

Strategy:

Implement programs that promote better citizenship, responsibility and respectwithin the school community.

Parent and Student surveys developed and implemented 10% increase on students feeling safe within our school community. 75% of parents called will respond I feel welcomed at my childs school.

FNMS is a middle school serving 6th

through 8th

grade students in western Washington.

The school district serves a diverse community southeast of Seattle. The school district is

unique in that the eastern edges of the district is composed of affluent neighborhoods and the

middle to western portion of the district has had a history of higher crime rates and ethnic

diversity. FNMS is considered the middle of these communities. We serve a large community


7/29

of apartments, low income housing and upper middle class neighborhoods; a true melting pot

of the larger district community.

FNMS is considered the middle child in more ways that just the location within the

district. When comparing the three sections of the area and the three sections of the district

that the middle schools serve, there is a definite pattern that can be seen. FNMS is noticeably

the middle child middle school. When compared with the two other middle schools in the

district FNMS has the middle level MSP scores, the middle level of diversity, the middle level of

school discipline, and the middle level of attendance issues.

FNMS has changed dramatically over the last 5 years in many ways. Our students who

receive free or reduced lunch increased from 49% to 57%. Our white population decreased

from 44% to 35%. The black population decreased slightly going from 20% to 18%. Our Hispanic

population increased from 12% to 18% and our Asian population increased from 23% to 25%.

We have 2% that affiliate with mixed races and 1% Native American.

The OSPI report card states that only 7% of our population is ELL. This is a misleading

statistic. The first language of most of our Hispanic students is Spanish. We also have a very

high population of white students whose first language is Russian, Ukrainian or Moldavian. Our

Asian population is also more likely to be first generation Americans or immigrant Asian so

their first language at home is not English. The 7% ELL student statistic is a misconception

because this statistic is only related to the students that are currently receiving ELL services.

The students that have had 2-3 years of English Language support services are no longer


8/29

included in this statistic but it does not mean that those students are fluent English language

students.

My students come from very different backgrounds, as the demographics suggest. Some of

my students have parents in prison or in jail; some of my students have parents that have

prestigious careers at Microsoft and Boeing. Some of my families have only one parent at home

and some of them live with their aunts, uncles or grandparents.

Some of the evidence I will look for to indicate there was a positive outcome that met the

needs of my students, their families and the SIP will be:

1) An increase of positive responses to the pre- & post-evaluations.2) Positive responses to the family evaluations.3) Increased academic achievement.4) Positive anecdotal evidence from colleagues in the building.5) Continuing positive responses to questionnaires for 4 years.6) A decrease in dating violence per a new questionnaire in 6 years.

I will gather the data, analyze it and make determinations based on the evidence. I will

follow these girls for the next 3 years and hopefully through high school to determine if

these girls continue to be positively impacted by the program. I will continue to modify the

measuring tools as needed throughout the process.

What Ive Learned from Distant Colleagues


9/29

There are two different tracks for background research that support this project. The

first is research to support our SIP plan and provide evidence on how Girls Rock meets the

criteria that the research points to for effective family and community participation. The

second piece of the research is to show that Girls Rock may meet the requirements needed

to prevent later life intimate partner violence.

Marzano points to 5 school level factors that increase school effectiveness. Of those

factors, parent and community involvement is ranked number 3. Marzano states, Three

features define effective parental and community involvement: communication,

participation, and governance. (Marzano, Section 1, Chapter 5) Opening lines of

communication between the school and families, creating positive interactions and support

systems create an effective vehicle to increase family involvement. Inviting the community

to participate through mentoring, lectures and open forums also increases school

effectiveness.

Teachers and programs that communicate with families and encourage participation at

the school increase family involvement. (Epstein) Research suggests that increased family

involvement increases student achievement. Research also shows that family involvement

improves student attendance, feelings of well being, perceptions of the classroom and

school climate and increases student desires to complete higher level education. (Anfara)

There are thought to be many factors that increase susceptibility of women to stay in

abusive relationships. The risk factors that a girls group might be able to mitigate are low

self-esteem, difficulty with self-validation, poor body image, feelings of social isolation,


10/29

feelings of not being able to leave or feeling trapped economically, taking on a care-taker

role and succumbing to life-stage event stresses. (Few)

Strong Women, Strong Girls founder Lindsay Hyde claims her program works. Most

parents feel their daughters have learned new skills (94 percent), increased their self-esteem

(88 percent), and strengthened their belief in themselves as a leader (80 percent). The mentors

also benefit: nearly 95 percent report greater self-confidence and empowerment. (Frasier

Hodder) In 2007 a study was released that showed a decrease in dating violence relationships

four years after high school students had completed the Connections: Relationships and

Marriage education curriculum. (Gardner) The American Psychological Association (APA) Task

Force recommends that schools, families and other organizations encourage positive

extracurricular activities that help youth build nurturing connections with peers and enhance

self-esteem based on young peoples abilities and character rather than on their appearance.

(APA p. 41)

Clarifying My Project

The critical questions I hope to answer are:

Did the girls group increase participants feelings of belonging in the school community

and the greater community?

Did the girls group support positive responses by parents to questions involving the

climate at the school?


11/29

Did the girls group meet the Equity and Access definition that each student will be

valued, connected, and achieving---no barriers?

Did the girls group positively impact student feelings of self-worth, coping abilities, body

image issues, and goal setting?

Based on data in my school, it was determined that the girls group should have a set

eight week curriculum for 6th

grade girls only and it should meet weekly in order to not lose

momentum. The group would meet after school every Monday for 8 weeks. The sessions

would be held in my portable.

I adapted a questionnaire from Girls in Real Life Situations: grades 6-12 (G.I.R.L.S.) for

the girls to complete before they started the program and to complete at the end of the

program. I asked parents/guardians to complete a questionnaire as well.

I determined that since the program would be a beginning of the school year program to

encourage healthy relationships, there would not be any limiting or initiating factors that

would purposefully include or exclude any 6th

grade girl that wanted to participate. The

school counselor, Genie, and I thought there would be about 10-20 girls interested in

participating.

I will use academic records to determine if there was an impact on student

achievement. I will use anecdotal notes and feedback from colleagues and parents to

determine if the group was successful. I will also follow the girls for 6 years to determine if

there were impacts to their academics, sense of belonging and self-esteem. I will do this by


12/29

providing questionnaires each year to the girls. I will also compare their data with that of

their peers using a random control group.

The Story of My Research

I am a 6th

grade math teacher at a middle school. I serve a diverse population and

students that are at high risk of not completing school. I have a deep desire to encourage girls

to excel in mathematics and life. I am a survivor of an abusive relationship and I am passionate

about educating and preventing violent relationships. I think that the best way to do this is to

help girls feel good about themselves and help them to realize they should be treated

respectfully. Increasing their self-esteem, showing them how to take care of themselves,

helping them to feel good about their appearance, encouraging a support system of girls,

helping them to feel connected to their peers, the school and other adults and helping them to

set goals and follow their dreams are all ways in which I believe I can make a difference.

I researched several girls group curriculums, read lessons and discussed ideas with

colleagues. After investigating previous support groups in the school, it was determined that I

would create an 8 week course for girls. I aligned my curriculum to the school and district SIP

for Equity and Access. I also aligned my curriculum to the needs of my students as well as my

personal desire to increase self-esteem, body image and provide a support system for the girls

in my school. From past data at my school, the school counselor, Genie, and I decided that an 8

week session would have the most success. I determined the following needs and desires for

the girls in conjunction with the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and Genie.


13/29

We set the following agenda for the 8 weeks:

1) Introduction: Peace Corps Building Self Esteem for Girls: What I can do activity2) Positive Self-Image: Powerpoint, Music, Discussion, Nails, Bracelets, & Friendships3)

Dreams & Goal Setting: TreasureMapping activity4) Nutrition, Body Image & Zumba

5) Career Day6) Family Networking Day7) Our Community8) Checking In

The girls group started with 19 girls on the first day and 2 PTA volunteers. The first 19

girls in the group were the girls that I have published the data for; I will track these same 19

girls over the next 6 years. There were over 50 different girls that participated in the group

for most of the lessons; this was 29.76% of our 6th

grade, female population. I had the

original 19 girls fill out a survey on the first day of the group and again on the last day of the

group. I modified the survey from the G.I.R.L.S. (Taylor) curriculum by deleting questions

that were not appropriate or applicable for this group. I also added questions that would

address the school and district SIP goals. [A] I have included a spread sheet of the data from

the questionnaire in the appendix. [B]

I completed the first lesson with 19 girls. [1] We started with a connection building

activity. I had the girls stand shoulder to shoulder while I read questions. When the question

identified them, they stepped forward and looked around to see who else also identified

with the question. This activity was intended to help the girls understand that they arent

alone. After this activity, I lead a discussion about our connectedness. The girls then wrote 3

things that they thought they couldnt do, then they ripped the paper up and threw it in the


14/29

air. This exercise was intended to show the girls that the group was going to help them

break negative beliefs about themselves. Then the girls created a name poem using positive

adjectives for each letter of their name. Finally, the girls shared their name poem posters

with the group. All of these activities were intended to help the girls get to know

themselves and their peers. They were also created to increase their positive self-image.

The second lesson had 32 girls in attendance, the original 19 with 13 more and 2 PTA

volunteers. I had a powerpoint slide show running when the girls came in. I made sure the

girls had an opportunity to watch the slide show all the way through. [2] I played the song:

What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction and I had the girls watch a video created by

Dove about how models look the way they do in advertisements. I lead a discussion about

media distortion, inner beauty, what the girls thought about the slide show and I let the

girls talk about their own feelings about beauty. I then encouraged the girls to discuss

ways that they could encourage each other to feel good about themselves, how to be a

friend to each other and ways we could support each other. The girls then made friendship

bracelets, braided their hair with embroidery thread and/or painted each others nails.

These activities were intended to help the girls begin to building a support system within

the school community, find ways to celebrate themselves, and start to see how the media

distorts our cultures views of women.

For the third lesson I invited a woman from the community to help the girls create

Treasure Maps. I had 41 girls in attendance. This was the last time we met in my

classroom because the group had gotten so big. This activity helped the girls learn how to


15/29

set goals in order to reach their dreams, put those goals on a board, and visualize their

dreams in order to help achieve them. [3]

For the 4

th

lesson, I invited a local Zumba instructor to teach the girls how to exercise

and have fun. [4] For this activity I had 3 Parent volunteers and 50 girls in attendance. We

spent 20 minutes exercising then we took a break for a discussion. I lead a discussion with

the girls explaining how important exercise is for emotional health. I taught the girls that

endorphins are released with exercise, what endorphins are and how exercise can help you

when youre angry, frustrated, or sad. I also explained how much fun exercise can be when

you have a friend and how important it is to encourage each other. Then we spent 10 more

minutes exercising. We ended the session with a discussion about healthy eating habits and

exercise.

Career day was the 5th

lesson. [5] I had 2 PTA volunteers and 48 girls in attendance. I

asked several women from the greater community to attend our group to discuss their job,

what they had to do to get there, and what it was like for them when they were in school. I

had 4 women, with different types of jobs, attend the career day. I started the afternoon

with the question: What would you like to do when you are older and what do you need to

do to make that happen? I asked the girls to think about this for a few minutes and then

asked for just a few responses. Then I introduced our guests. Each of the women spent 15

minutes talking about their careers and answering questions from the girls. We then invited

the women to join us for our snack and closing discussion. This is when I asked the girls

what they had learned from our guests. The girls had their own learning around this. I


16/29

facilitated the discussion and asked leading questions in order to help the girls see that they

could do anything in life, that all the women in our panel had struggled with fitting in at

some point in their school career, and that they all worked toward their goal differently but

they did keep their goals in view.

Our Family Networking Day was the 6th

lesson. [6] I had 2 PTA volunteers, 50 girls in

attendance, 12 adult family members and 4 siblings. For this activity the girls invited the

women in their lives to our group. I introduced the day by having the girls introduce their

guests. Then I had the girls explain what our group was all about to the family members. I

let the families and the girls know that I hoped this would be a start to the girls and families

feeling connected to each other and the school. I mentioned that this was an opportunity

for families to get to know each other and create a community between their girls and

themselves. Those family members that were comfortable with sharing information were

given the materials to exchange phone numbers, emails and other contact information. I

encouraged the girls to introduce their friends to the parents in attendance and I

encouraged networking and small discussions. I closed the activity by reminding everyone

that I hoped this was the beginning of friendships and family connections that would last

throughout their girls secondary school careers and potentially into their adulthood.

The final day of lessons I had the girls tell me everything we had done over the 7 weeks.

[7] There were 3 PTA members in attendance and 51 girls. I facilitated and encouraged the

girls to share what we had learned over the course of our group. I made sure that they hit

the main focus items of each lesson as well as the over-reaching goal of building friendships


17/29

and a community of belonging. I provided photos of each of the girls that I had taken

throughout the weeks. I also provided small group and large group photos. The girls chose a

photo to frame and created a foam frame for their photos. I also let the girls know my

hopes for them throughout the year and beyond: taking care of each other, making sure

they kept a network of friends that would encourage them and be positive, and to believe in

themselves. I told the girls we would meet one more time in the spring for a reunion.

Each girl created at least one photo frame to take home.

In March I had a checking in day [8]. I had 30 girls attend. We had a small discussion

about how things were going, if they were still making sure that each of the girls from the

group was included in the school community by always having someone to sit with at lunch,

walk home from school with, attend other school clubs with, and encouraging each other

socially and academically. I passed out the questionnaire again and had the girls fill it out. I

also passed out a parent survey that I asked the girls to get filled out. I encouraged the girls

to discuss some of the good things that had come from the group, questions they had or

things that they were having trouble with. I asked the girls if they felt like the group had

been a positive experience. Each of the girls felt the group had been a very positive

experience for them. They each had made new friends; they told me how they always made

sure the girls from the group were included in school activities. Some of the girls told me

how they were being invited to activities outside of school like birthday parties and other

outings because of the connections they had created in the group. I have included the girls

post-test data in appendix B. I have included the data from the parent survey in appendix B.


18/29

Reflection and Questions about my Research

The Girls Rock group was an idea that sprang from my passion about domestic violence

prevention. I believe that if we teach our children to feel good about themselves, to have

positive self-images, to build positive relationships with their peers, role models and the

greater community that they will have the belief in themselves that they deserve to be

treated with respect and care. Feeling like your isolated or you dont belong to your

community is one of the hardest hurdles a middle school student has to face. Building

positive relationships with each other, the school community and the greater community

helps children feel like they matter, that they have someone in the world that cares about

them, that they are connected. It builds confidence in themselves and their ability to be in

positive relationships.

Few and Rosen point to two types of vulnerability which are linked to women who stay

in abusive relationships: Relational Vulnerability and Situational Vulnerability. According to

their study there are 5 sub-categories of relational vulnerability: (a) external orientation, (

b) socialization to violence, ( c) socialization to abuse of power, (d) caretaker identity, and

(e) cultural factors.

The study points to several relational factors which influence women to stay in abusive

relationships. Some of the vulnerabilities come from the womens family of origin: They saw

abuse of power and violence in their families so they felt it was the norm, they became the

caretaker in their family of origin so they wanted to rescue their partner too, and their

cultural beliefs influenced their decisions to stay. The need for external validation is


19/29

something that could be influenced greatly by the Girls Rock curriculum. Teaching our

children that they are valuable and how to help them feel this way on their own is one way

to help our children avoid abusive relationships.

The other vulnerability that Few and Rosen pointed to was Situational Vulnerability.

Situational vulnerability can happen to anyone, you suddenly lose a job and you dont know

how to pay the bills or buy food. You lose your best friend and you feel lonely so you hang

on to the relationship that you do have. This type of vulnerability is something that would

occur in adulthood but giving children the tools now can help them be resilient adults.

Helping children learn how to cope with stress, how to set goals to achieve their dreams,

and teaching them how to build healthy relationships all help lay the foundation for them to

combat situational vulnerability.

In addition to my desire to combat domestic violence, I also wanted to create something

that would be valuable to my school, the district and the greater community. In the Renton

School District, we have a District Improvement Plan and a School Improvement Plan for Equity

and Access [C] which states that Each student will be valued, connected, and achievingno

barriers. The following District indicators were used to determine the success of the Girls Rock

group:

Achievement gaps based on income and race/ethnicity are reduced in each contentarea

Students and parents are involved in the educational process

The following School Level SMART Goals were used to determine the success of the Girls

Rock group:


20/29

Students, staff and parents will respond to survey questions 75% of the time thatNelsen is a caring, respectful, learning community

The number of Fs will decrease by 20% each comparable quarterThe following School Level Strategies were used to determine the alignment of the Girls

Rock group with our school SMART goals:

Implement programs that promote better citizenship, responsibility and respectwithin the school community

Provide interventions for all students in needThe following School Level Activities were met through the Girls Rock group:

Develop a survey for students and parents Contact Parents Create a system for collecting and tracking information Create programs for studentsThe school also has a table of desired evidence to show that we have met our goals. I

used the following criteria to create data collection plans to determine the effectiveness of

the Girls Rock group:

Feedback from Department leaders

10% increase on students feeling safe within our school community 85% of students will respond affirmatively to the activity Students will learn about our schools community and feel welcomed Student participation in the intervention or activity 75% of parents will respond I feel welcomed at my childs school Participants will have no failing grades and will reduce tardies and absences by 40%.


21/29

Conclusions

The Girls Rock group research shows a positive impact for students, families, the

community and our school. Specifically when compared with the research on what makes

women stay in chronically abusive relationships, the research shows that the Girls Rock group

laid a foundation to combat the needs for external validation and helped the girls feel confident

in their ability to fight situational vulnerability.

External Validation: According to the Girls Rock questionnaire, the girls that participated

in the curriculum increased their feelings of self worth, increased their positive feelings about

body image, increased their ability to see themselves as positive contributors to the world and

felt that they knew what they wanted and how to get it. [B, sheet 5 & 7, chart 4] All of these

factors will contribute to these girls being able to self-validate in their later life.

Situational Vulnerability: According to the Girls Rock Pre-Test & Post-Test [B, sheet2 &

chart 3], the research shows that the girls that participated in the curriculum increased their

ability to understand their emotions, their feelings and they also increased their awareness of

what makes them happy. All of these skills will help them cope with stress in the future. On the

Girls Rock Student Survey, the girls answered that the group helped them to learn about how to

be respectful, how to encourage being respected, how to be successful academically and how

to be a better citizen. All of these skills will help these girls build healthy relationships now and

in the future. They will also help these girls set goals and achieve them which will further

decrease their vulnerability to life situations.


22/29

The Girls Rock group, when compared with our district and school improvement plans,

positively impacted the girls and met the requirements of several components of our SIP goals.

Achievement gaps based on income and race/ethnicity are reduced in each contentarea

According to the research, the girls who participated in the Girls Rock group increased

their academic achievement in Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. [B, sheet 7]

Students and parents are involved in the educational process

I had 29% of our sixth grade girls involved in the group and of those girls, I had 18% of

those girls parents involved with the family networking day. I also had 100% of the girls parents

respond to my survey. The only other groups at our school who have this type of attendance

are our sports teams.

Students, staff and parents will respond to survey questions 75% of the time thatNelsen is a caring, respectful, learning communityI surveyed students and parents to determine if they felt that our school was caring and

respectful due to participation in the Girls Rock group. [B, sheet 1 & 2, chart 3 & 5] According to

my research, the parents and students responded positively over 75% of the time that they felt

welcome at our school, that they felt like our school valued them, and that they felt respected

at our school.

The number of Fs will decrease by 20% each comparable quarter


23/29

Academically, the girls who participated in the core group of Girls Rock increased their

grades in Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. None of the girls received Fs on their report

cards.

The Girls Rock group met the SIP in implementing programs that promote better

citizenship, responsibility and respect within the school community. The group also provided an

intervention for 6th

grade girls to feel like they belonged to the greater school community. The

group also met the plan in developing a survey for students and parents, increased contact with

parents, created a system for collecting information and system for tracking information.

Feedback from Department leadersThe 6

thgrade vice-principal, the school counselors, the School Academic Success

teachers, the Academic Liaison/Community in Schools staff and the 6th

grade teaching team all

reported positive feedback from the girls, staff and parents for the girls group.

10% increase on students feeling safe within our school community84% of the girls who participated in the Girls Rock group said that they felt safe at our

school.

85% of students will respond affirmatively to the activity and that they will feelwelcomed

Over 85% of the girls said that the group helped them feel like an important part of the

school, that it helped them to feel connected to the school and that they felt like the school

staff cared about them.


24/29

Participants will have no failing grades and will reduce tardies and absences by 40%.None of the core members of the group had failing grades on their report cards.

The research shows that the Girls Rock group increased the girls feelings of self-worth,

increased positive body image, increased their feelings of belonging and increased their grades

in Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. The group met 8 out of 10 of the SIP goals listed for

the district and the school. The overall notes from parents, staff, administration, families and

the community were positive. There were girls from every demographic included in the group.

Follow Up

There are several changes I would make if I were going to do this again. I would have

included a pre-group survey for the girls and the parents that would have aligned with the SIP

for the district and the school. I would have changed some of the questions so that parents and

students could have responded particular questions as not applicable. Several parents made

notes on the surveys that said their daughter was already responsible or was already successful

academically before they participated in the group. (See the specific questions below.)

Do you think Girls Rock helped your daughter be successful

academically at Nelsen?

Do you think your child has learned how to be more responsibledue to her participation in Girls Rock?


25/29

I would also add a component for the girls that would give them the tools to access help

with specific question, problems or concerns. [Supplemental Lesson B] I would also add a lesson

that would help the girls with conflict resolution and being a good friend. [Supplemental Lesson

A]

I was surprised at the huge increase in positive body image. This was a wonderful surprise

and made me feel like I had made a huge difference. I believe that even though I hadnt set out

to specifically increase the girls feelings about their body image, it happened anyway. This

would be consistent with the APAs suggestion that ANY group for girls will positively impact

body image.

I would like to continue to follow the girls from the original Girls Rock group for the next 6

years. I would like to survey the girls to determine if they still feel connected to their school and

the community. I would like to know if they have continued their friendships, if they still feel

good about themselves, if they remember what the girls group taught them and if they stay out

of violent relationships. I have devised a new survey to determine this. I will give the survey to

the girls that participated and select a group of 20 girls that did not participate in the group to

compare the results.

This project was one of the most fulfilling activities I have ever participated in with my

students. I am hopeful that I will be able to continue this throughout my teaching career. I have

decided to expand the program so that the boys will also have a group at our school. In

addition, I have requested that we start the group before school starts so that our 6th

grade

students and families have a support system to start the year off with. Hopefully this will


26/29

increase family involvement throughout their childrens secondary education years and will

increase feelings of belonging for our students.


27/29

Works sited

American Psychological Association,Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. (2010). Report of

the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. Retrieved from

http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/report-full.pdf

Developmental Issues as a Component of Intersectionality: Defining the Smart-Girl Program

Rhonda L. Williams

Race, Gender & Class , Vol. 16, No. 1/2 (2009), pp. 82-101

Published by:Jean Ait Belkhir, Race, Gender & Class Journal

Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41658862

Does Youth Relationship Education Continue to Work after a High School Class? A Longitudinal

Study

Scott P. Gardner and Rila Boellaard

Family Relations , Vol. 56, No. 5 (Dec., 2007), pp. 490-500

Published by:National Council on Family Relations


Fraser Hodder, Harbour. "Girl Power." Harvard Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 July 2013.

.

Marzano, Robert J. "Parent and Community Involvement." What Works in Schools: Translating

Research into Action. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development,

2003. 47-52. Print.

N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2013..

School Programs and Teacher Practices of Parent Involvement in Inner-City Elementary and

Middle Schools

Joyce L. Epstein and Susan L. Dauber

The Elementary School Journal, Vol. 91, No. 3, Special Issue: Educational Partnerships: Home-

School Community (Jan., 1991), pp. 289-305

Published by:The University of Chicago Press

Article Stable URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/1001715

Taylor, Julia V., and Shannon Trice-Black. Girls in Real Life Situations, Grades 6-12: Group

Counseling Activities for Enhancing Social and Emotional Development. Champaign, IL:

Research, 2007. Print.

Victims of Chronic Dating Violence: How Women's Vulnerabilities Link to Their Decisions to Stay

April L. Few and Karen H. Rosen

Family Relations , Vol. 54, No. 2 (Apr., 2005), pp. 265-279
http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/report-full.pdfhttp://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/report-full.pdfhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=belkhirhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=belkhirhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=belkhirhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ncfrhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ncfrhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ncfrhttp://harvardmagazine.com/2008/01/girl-power.htmlhttp://harvardmagazine.com/2008/01/girl-power.htmlhttp://files.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/library/empoweringgirls.pdfhttp://files.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/library/empoweringgirls.pdfhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ucpresshttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ucpresshttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ucpresshttp://www.jstor.org/stable/1001715http://www.jstor.org/stable/1001715http://www.jstor.org/stable/1001715http://www.jstor.org/stable/1001715http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ucpresshttp://files.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/library/empoweringgirls.pdfhttp://harvardmagazine.com/2008/01/girl-power.htmlhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ncfrhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=belkhirhttp://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/report-full.pdf


28/29

Published by:National Council on Family Relations


What Research Says: Varieties of Parent Involvement in Schooling

Vincent A. Anfara Jr. and Steven B. Mertens

Middle School Journal, Vol. 39, No. 3 (January 2008), pp. 58-64Published by:Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE)

Article Stable URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/23048139
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ncfrhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ncfrhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ncfrhttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=amlehttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=amlehttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=amlehttp://www.jstor.org/stable/23048139http://www.jstor.org/stable/23048139http://www.jstor.org/stable/23048139http://www.jstor.org/stable/23048139http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=amlehttp://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.plu.edu/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ncfr


29/29

Appendices

Data

A. Girls Rock Pretest/Post-testB. Pre-test & Post-test DataC. District and School Improvement Plans

Lessons

1. Lesson 1: Introduction2. Lesson 2: Positive Self-Image with powerpoint and video3. Lesson 3: Dreams & Goal Setting4. Lesson 4: Nutrition, Body Image & Zumba5. Lesson 5: Career Day6. Lesson 6: Family Networking7. Lesson 7: Our Community8. Lesson 8: Checking In9. Supplemental Lesson A: Friendships10.Supplemental Lesson B: Who ya gonna call?

girls rock for tim

Documents