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PEP Talks

68 Parents registered online to attend one of our nine (9) PEP Talks (the second of three). 54 Parents were in attendance. Many parents called-in due to illness, being called into work, prior commitments, etc. Below is a breakdown:
X/Y = Attended/Registered

NORTH (11/17)

• BPM – 2/2
• KI – 1/7
• Plexus – 8/8

SOUTH 43/51)

• Bradley – 15/20
• Rytec – 1/3
• Strattec – 5/6
• Lakeside – 4/6
• Trostel – 1/1
• Allis-Roller – 6/9
• Generac – 5/6
• Plus six (6) attendees that did not sign-in at Waterford Public Library (came in late).

NOTE: I intend to connect with those who did NOT register/attend and inquire as to their level of engagement and how we can better serve their needs in the spaces/channels (i.e. in-person, on-location, online webinar, phone conference, Google Hangout/Skype, etc.) they are most comfortable.

Additional Information: 

43 Surveys were completed. Some parents had to leave early or only one (1) spouse answered for both. Of those surveys completed, 100% checked either “Worthy of my time / I learned something”. 40 Of the surveys completed left commentary regarding what they learned; what they liked; or how they intend to use the information the learned at our PEP Talk. Overwhelmingly, the parents enjoyed hearing from other parents. Almost all commented on how well their student is doing in school/work and how thankful they are for a program like this. Parents also loved hearing about some of the types of activities that are happening in the ed centers. They also commented very favorably regarding the Habitudes® lessons I shared with them and many requested additional information regarding the lessons be shared with them.

Of the issues we addressed, only a few stood out:

• Better (or more consistent) communication from instructor. This was addressed by encouraging parents to connect with instructors instead of waiting for instructors to send out information. Still, when one parent shares they get regular emails and how those emails look, other parents question why they don’t receive the same thing. This could be addressed in a “Best Practices” type workshop.
• Issues with work placements including, but not limited to:
  • Streamlining the onboarding process including communication, drug testing, etc. @ UTC in Peshtigo, WI
  • Work-related injuries
  • Questions regarding Trostel’s future
• Financial literacy questions regarding the curriculum
  • Quite a few parents were asking questions about how to help their student save, invest, spend, etc. their money. Most were not aware that we offer some financial literacy lessons within our LMS. Still, I think we could do more in this area.

Overall, this last PEP Talk was one of our most successful. Many of the parents commented they wished more parents came to our PEP Talks. They also commented highly on how pleased they are with our instructors, the program, what a difference they can already see in their students, etc. Clearly, there has been an uptick in how things have been handled since our last PEP Talk (i.e. job placements were an issue back then). Well done to everyone!

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[su_tab title=”PEP Metrics”]

PEP Metrics

PEP Metrics are those indicators that reveal to us whether (or not) our strategies and practices are effective and efficient.

Note, we are no longer obligated to survey our parents in order to stay compliant with our grant from The United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County – However, we still believe in the need to survey our parents in order to deliver the best possible outcomes. Instead, our grant requires we survey our students. With regards to these changes, I am implementing some changes to both our delivery of content as well as how we integrate our surveys.

Using a new intuitive webinar software, I am in the process of developing live/pre-recorded/evergreen webinars for each of our Habitudes® as well as our Ten (10) Priorities from our PEP book, The Biggest Job We’ll Ever Have. The purpose behind using this software is two (2) fold:

1. Scalability and logistics: This software allows us to connect with parents, instructors, students, etc. virtually – the software is scalable to host as many attendees as we need. Although statistics reveal that 96.7% of webinars never exceed 500 people, my existing license can withstand up to 5,000 people and an extended Enterprise level license can host in the tens of thousands of attendees.
2. Live, Hybrid, & Evergreen: This software allows us to host live webinar events, integrate pre-recorded elements, and even create evergreen webinars whereby our entire webinar event is recorded and edited so that it is always fresh, relevant, and available.

In addition, our software allows for live surveys/polls which allows us to collect responses at the beginning, during, and end of a webinar in very intuitive ways.

Examples of the types of metrics we will be capturing include, but are not limited to:

• How is your student doing at home?
  • 1 – My student is NOT doing well at all.
  • 2 – My student is doing just enough to stay out of trouble.
  • 3 – My student is doing well without any incidents.
  • 4 – My student is doing exceptionally well.
• How is the communication between you and your student?
  • 1 – There is NO communication OR we are arguing.
  • 2 – There is minimal communication.
  • 3 – The communication is good and/or getting better.
  • 4 – The communication is healthy and often.
• How is the communication between you and your student’s instructor?
  • 1 – There is NO communication.
  • 2 – There is minimal communication.
  • 3 – The communication is good and/or getting better.
  • 4 – The communication is excellent.
• Are you satisfied with your student’s classroom experience?
  • Yes.
  • I would like to see some improvement.
  • No.
• Are you satisfied with your student’s workplace experience?
  • Yes.
  • I would like to see some improvement.
  • No.

We will also be using the same types of collection mechanisms to measure and increase engagement with our curriculum content.

NOTE: We are currently offering a complimentary eCourse (The Biggest Job We’ll Ever Have) for our PEP, however, registration/completion rates are less than desirable. In an effort to be supportive and NOT demanding of our parents, a change is necessary in order to deliver content in a more meaningful and timely way. We can still offer the eCourse as a “value-add” to our PEP proposition, however, it will no longer be considered CORE to our PEP offering. Instead, our PEP Talks, PEP Webinars, PEP Portal (http://engage.gpsed.org/), and text/sms communications will serve as our primary content delivery/data collection/touchpoints with parents.

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[su_tab title=”Habitudes® Kickoff Events”]

Habitudes® Kickoff Events

Our Habitudes® Kickoff Events were completed April 4, 2017. All of our Wisconsin Ed Centers received 90-120 minutes of Habitudes® content and the messages were well received by most. However, it is in my opinion that the Kickoff Events were poorly executed (this past year) for many reasons. The greatest of these include pacing, scheduling, and changing:

Pace: Our initial rollout of the Habitudes® books included a few instructor training sessions whereby I offered some examples of how to integrate the lessons into the classroom (i.e. complete an activity, watch a video, have a discussion, hang a poster, and anchor the image throughout the rest of the week). This was not required, but rather offered as an “additional” tool for our instructors to use “as-needed.”

• Takeaway: Character and leadership (CL) CANNOT be taught in a day… it MUST be taught daily. Moreover, character and leadership is more caught than taught. In other words, it MUST be modeled by those in authority (i.e. classroom, workplace, and home). For this reason, it is my goal to offer Habitudes® Coaching to our instructors, job skills coaches, and parents (on a regular basis). Of course, our constituents are NOT required to participate… it will be offered as an added-value service to those who want it.

Schedule: With regards to scheduling, the LMS posed one of the greatest challenges to our instructors/classrooms. Although we delivered the books to instructors in September and attempted to schedule all of our Habitudes® KOE thereafter, the LMS was a priority and pacing became an issue. Beyond that, scheduling conflicts continually appeared whether it was testing (ACT and MSSC), rotations, interviewing, field trips, etc.

• Takeaway: Habitudes® Kickoff Events should be implemented very early in the school year (e.g. Onboarding) and have more to do with culture than curriculum. For this reason, I’m working on a One (1) Day Camp whereby our students will have an opportunity to come together and we can launch our Habitudes® Kickoff Events in a timely and relevant fashion.

Change: In our Habitudes® book, The Art of Changing Culture, the lesson entitled – Growing Pains speaks to how we address change in our culture: In a nutshell, about 20% of your people (i.e. early adopters) will lead the growth and change in your organization. Additionally, your people can only handle about 20% change a year.

• Takeaway: In my humble opinion, our instructors have been asked to adapt to large changes in our program delivery this past year. For this reason, I recognize the need to help our instructors connect with and appreciate our Habitudes® content. As a self-proclaimed member of the 20%, I will continue to work diligently to support our instructors in an effort to model character and leadership while also offering best practices that will help improve classroom culture.

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[su_tab title=”Intervention Strategy”]

Intervention Strategy

In our Habitudes® book, For the Journey: The Art of Navigating Transitions, each lesson is designed to help our students understand and overcome the hurdles of adolescence and turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones. These “transitions” or “change points” are the moments when students either learn how to effectively and efficiently navigate their lives OR they turn into the wrecks and pileups that often derail our students from pursuing their education and graduating.

I am currently integrating thirteen (13) lessons from For the Journey into the LMS. Again, I cannot stress enough the importance that individual character and leadership lessons do NOT build culture. Content delivery (i.e. LMS) may address knowledge gaps within the Academic Domain, but does little to promote demonstration in the Social & Emotional Domain and even less to develop and anchor values in the Character & Leadership Domain. For this reason, it is imperative that the relationships we identify and support within a student’s PIP are made aware of and given access to our Habitudes® language/concepts for the purpose of accountability and support for the student.

Example: Students may be required to complete a Habitudes® Homework Sheet (Download: Habitudes® Lesson – Student Assessment Worksheet)

When the culture of our classrooms, workplaces, and homes matches the timeless values shared in our Habitudes® lessons, our students will have the opportunity to both learn (i.e. the event) and practice (i.e. the process) in the spaces and places they live, learn, work, and play.

In addition to content delivery of our Habitudes® lessons through the LMS, I happily offer my services to any and all intervention team members (i.e. administrators, instructors, parents, coaches, mentors, students, etc.)

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[su_tab title=”TOR for CL”]

TOR for CL

Under construction.

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