Dr. Gigi Spearman, director and founder, retired military officer with over 25 years of military leadership experience, 10 years as a large group instructor and lead trainer for Senior Executive Service employees and military General Officers. Dr. Spearman holds the degree of Doctor of Business Administration in Quailty Systems Management; New England College of Business and Finance and National School of Quality Management. Dr. Spearman is the owner of GS Real Estate Group, LLC, GS Property Management and G~Style Jewelry Designs. She is a private business consultant specializing in the areas of organizational leadership, financial literacy and real etate investment principles.
Dr. Spearman's Body of Work Abstract
The potential cause of disruptive behavior and low teacher retention rates at public middle schools may be the lack of ethical, character and leadership education in the learning environment. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory research was to understand character education definitions, key principles and the return on investment for implementation character education. Participants are public middle school administrators within the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Data analysis results support the argument that character education has a positive influence in the learning environment. The theoretical frameworks include the collaboration of schools, parents and communities as major components. Schools that integrate character education within the curriculum ensure all learners have access to character development. The behavioral factor, a characteristic of social learning, service learning and evidenced-based learning theories, was one of the most significant measurements for character education results. Academic performance was a measurement reflecting cognitive factors also a characteristic of the three learning theories. Findings show that character education has a positive outcome for learners and influence the learning environment for students and teachers. Character education results in increased student academic performance and decreased behavioral problems. The results of this study support the argument that character education is critical middle school adolescents to help prepare them for higher education and ultimately, leaders of the work force.
Dr. Spearman's Body of Work Abstract
The potential cause of disruptive behavior and low teacher retention rates at public middle schools may be the lack of ethical, character and leadership education in the learning environment. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory research was to understand character education definitions, key principles and the return on investment for implementation character education. Participants are public middle school administrators within the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Data analysis results support the argument that character education has a positive influence in the learning environment. The theoretical frameworks include the collaboration of schools, parents and communities as major components. Schools that integrate character education within the curriculum ensure all learners have access to character development. The behavioral factor, a characteristic of social learning, service learning and evidenced-based learning theories, was one of the most significant measurements for character education results. Academic performance was a measurement reflecting cognitive factors also a characteristic of the three learning theories. Findings show that character education has a positive outcome for learners and influence the learning environment for students and teachers. Character education results in increased student academic performance and decreased behavioral problems. The results of this study support the argument that character education is critical middle school adolescents to help prepare them for higher education and ultimately, leaders of the work force.
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