Summary
A virtual K-12 Wisconsin charter school implemented a new curriculum, Environments of Success™ (EOS) which focuses on student behaviors and mindsets as the foundation in attaining their goals and achieving success. Initial results indicate that the implementation of this curriculum in the 2019-2020 school year resulted in an increase in student achievement compared to before they participated in the curriculum.
Background
We all live and interact in different environments. This includes our work/career environment, our social environment, our home environment, and our personal environment.
For students, their work/career environment is school. That’s their “job” at this point in their lives.
As the director of eSucceed Virtual School, an online charter school serving grades K-12, I implemented my EOS system as a curriculum for students in grades 9-12 throughout the 2019/2020 school year. The data was collected over a one-year time period with one group of students. This case study serves as a summary of EOS and how EOS influenced student results at eSucceed Virtual School in one year's time.
What Does Environments of Success Look Like in a School Setting?
Environments of Success (EOS) is a research-based curriculum that focuses on the foundational skills that students need in order to be successful. These foundational skills are transferable between all the environments in which they live and interact.
The EOS curriculum focuses on the mindsets and behaviors that will ensure success. This includes the concept of “E + R = O”
In other words… Event + response = Outcome
Students are taught that to get the outcome they want, they control the “R” in the equation.
Here’s an example:
The “Event” is a school project that is due in one week’s time. The student wants the “Outcome” of getting it completed on-time. Therefore, their “Response” is to budget their time, break the project into smaller doable tasks, and complete it on time. However, if their “Response” is to put it off and not do it until the night before, they will not get the “Outcome” they desire.
In weekly advisory meetings, students learned how to apply the EOS concepts to their day-to-day work. This accountability has led to positive results, which will be discussed below.
Environments of Success Also Teaches Personal Responsibility
Students are also taught to take responsibility for everything that is going on in their lives. This means eliminating habits of blaming, complaining, and making excuses for why something wasn’t done or why it wasn’t done well.
One activity that is part of the EOS curriculum is identifying the issue, like not getting work done on time, and asking the question: “If I took 5% more responsibility for getting my work done on time, what could I do?” This helps students reflect on their actions and shows them that even a little effort can help them make progress toward their goals.
Results of Environments of Success at eSucceed Virtual School
As we worked through the EOS curriculum during the advisory sessions, the students started using common language not only in advisory class, but also in interactions with each other. They would challenge each other to consider ways to be more responsible in certain areas. They held themselves and each other accountable.
Evaluation of EOS is ongoing. Principles within the EOS curriculum have been identified in highly successful individuals and organizations and initial findings are seeing the same results in students that went through the EOS curriculum.
At the end of the school year, students participated in end-of-year interviews. Several students stated that their advisory sessions were their favorite parts of their week. They enjoyed learning behaviors and mindsets that would help them be successful in all areas of their lives.
As one student put it: “Learning about EOS was really helpful because I learned being successful is not about other people; it’s about me.”
Author
Michele Andorfer, Ph.D.
Founder, Diamond Innovations
Creator, Environments of Success
Director, eSucceed Virtual School
Contact Michele at diamondinnovations.eos@gmail.com