42 The current education system of high-stakes assessments that has been around since NCLB does not seem to be going away anytime soon. School districts are left with the problem of how to deliver what their students need and what they are required to do. Teachers play an important role in making it all happen by preparing students for a standardized test in the spring and by giving them exposure to 21st-century skills, SEL, and a school culture that supports both. Teachers would benefit from an initiative or program that would help them meet both academic and non-academic needs. Valley Ridge Elementary, the site of the current study, recognized the importance of providing their teachers with an avenue for transforming how they prepare their students. Administrators of Valley Ridge spent two years studying TLIM with the teachers before involving all stakeholders in a decision of whether to implement the program. The decision to implement TLIM as a transformational program for Valley Ridge proved to be a worthwhile decision. Every employee in the school was trained in TLIM concepts, and school-wide, students are being exposed to 21st-century skills and SEL. TLIM is an important program that should be considered by many schools. Students are able to integrate the program with already established curriculum and they become an integral part of the creation of a school environment where every child is a leader. The common language of TLIM and the ownership of the 7 Habits provide a consistency and common understanding that permeates through an entire school. References American Board. (2015, July 1). 11 facts about the history of education in America [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://www.americanboard.org/blog/11-facts-aboutthe- history-of-education-in-america/ Boss, S. (2019, January 22). It’s 2019. So why do 21st century skills still matter? EdSurge news. Retrieved from https:// www.edsurge.com/news/2019-01-22-its- 2019-so-whydo-21st century-skills-still-matter Chen, G. (2018, December 7). A relevant history of public education in the United States. Public School Review [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www. publicschoolreview.com/blog/a-relevant-history-ofpublic-education- in-the-united-states Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 habits of highly effective people. Free Press. Covey, S. R., Covey, S., Summer, M., & Hatch, D. K. (2014). The leader in me: How schools around the world are inspiring greatness, one child at a time (2nd ed.). Simon & Schuster. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage. Julie Dawes, EdD Figure 2. Major Themes of the Current Study
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