FAQs About SEOs
Has the SEO™ idea ever been implemented before?
The first SEO™ was launched at Lake Braddock Secondary School (LBSS) in Burke, Virginia, as a result of a cooperative effort by the ERC, LBSS administration and students, and Lockheed Martin Corporation. The ERC contributed its expertise and technical assistance in organizational ethics, character education, and evaluation and assessment. Lockheed Martin provided financial support and helped train the Student Ethics Officers from LBSS. Finally, LBSS administrators supported the effort, teachers facilitated the process, and students added the insight and enthusiasm required to make the endeavor relevant and successful. By building upon the expertise of each group, a model program emerged. The SEO™ prototype continues to be in operation, and we have launched three additional pilot programs in the DC Metro area. In 2004 we launched our first national SEO™ in a unique, smaller learning-community high school in New York City. The SEO™ program continues to expand and we receive requests for pilots from schools around the country.
What are the benefits of an SEO™?
There are numerous benefits of the SEO™ approach:
For administrators and teachers: SEO's are teacher-supported, but student-run. This approach is less time-consuming and labor-intensive for faculty and staff, yet it still supports schools' character education initiatives and enhances the learning objectives of whole school communities.
For student populations: Many students want to behave ethically but feel adrift, alone, and unsupported in their efforts; Student Ethics Officers serve as role models, reminding others of the value of a life characterized by virtue. Additionally, because the efforts of the SEO™ are based on students' own experiences and perspectives, the solutions proposed and implemented are more likely to be meaningful and lasting.
For the Student Ethics Officers: Rather than merely telling students what it means to be ethical, the SEO™ approach gives students the opportunity to practice ethical leadership by identifying issues within the school community and developing strategies to address them and communicate them to others. Also, because Student Ethics Officers undertake work that is similar to that of corporate ethics officers and are given the opportunity to meet with ethics professionals, they are exposed to meaningful career options.
For local businesses and the corporate community: Student Ethics Offices provide a training ground for tomorrow's business leaders. Not only do the student leaders participating in the program benefit through increased ethical awareness, the program includes opportunities for them to pass along what they have learned to others in the school community, generating an ethically educated workforce. Additionally, the SEO serves as an excellent opportunity to nurture future ethics professionals by providing them with first hand, practical experience, while offering corporate representatives with an opportunity to share their knowledge with student leaders.
How does the student-led SEO connect with the work being done by teachers in the classroom, including the ERC's MAXIMize programs?
Rather than competing with teachers' efforts, the SEO supports the good work already being done in this classroom. First, cooperative learning is the preeminent model of instruction in most classrooms today. A student-led character education initiative, like the SEO, coincides well with classroom instruction that encourages group cooperation and active problem solving. Secondly, the student-centered SEO approach invites students to get involved in the education process and relieves teachers of having yet another burden. Character education is no longer "one more thing" for busy educators to do; instead the vibrant, student-centered model draws from the students' insights, creativity, and enthusiasm. Finally, by creating a more positive, focused climate, the SEO allows teachers to have a more effective learning environment.
