By the Sea Side

The night is so calm and dull
as I sat by the sea watching at the stars
The nippy breeze blew past by me
as it drew my thoughts away.

How can the ocean remains serene and tranquil
when thunders are roaring from a distance a far
is it because this world is a void
or simply because I have lost my sanity.

I tried to think of other things
and look the other way around
but it seems to be futile in exercise
for no matter what I do
the waves of memories just keep on rushing back to me.

As the nightangale sings its melodramatic song
I melancholy reminisce the past
When you were still by my side
singing songs of love made by heaven's lyre.

My tears run down as I look back
to the days when I acted like a fool
Never did it occur to me
that you were already bleeding inside
simply by loving me
for it imprisons you in a frozen coccoon of misery.


Now that you're gone I'm always here by the sea side
holding a pen in my hand and looking at the skies
as I try to write a poem with my teary eyes
and wish that somehow, someday it'll reach to the place where you lie.

The leaves on the trees are now falling
and the moon beams its rays on me
but I'll never leave this side
untill the day that I die.

The Implementation of the School Improvement Plan: A Basis for a Training Program for Stakeholders

CHAPTER I
PRELIMINARIES

Abstract:
The following dissertation proposal presents the research-design based study and methods of implementing the School Improvement Plan, a five-year development plan which seeks to improve both the physical and academic aspect of a school for a more conducive learning environment for its target clientele. This dissertation will discuss some important factors in the School Improvement plan, such as the methodical approach that was use in formulating it and what are the conceptual frameworks that serve as its guidance.
The dissertation seeks to study how the said development plan was implemented by the school and what are the correlation of its purpose, goals and objectives to the stakeholders. Moreover, the intricate circumstances of how the SIP will serve as a basis for the personal development of the school’s stakeholders that will further contribute to the monumental improvement of its delivery of quality education whereas it can be effectively and efficiently delivered to its target clientele is also of primary concern for the study. This dissertation will invest in the ideological analysis that the five year development plan can serve as a tool to foster the improvement not only of the school but as well to its stakeholders, which has roles in the administration of the school. It is suffice to define the term “stakeholder” and to whom this study refers to as for there was a distinctive categorization of school stakeholders.
In its effort to reach a conclusion, the study will use qualitative and quantitative approach in a methodical manner in order to derive the optimum results. The study will apply literary analysis as its research design in order to interpret the data that will be gathered. In collecting the data that are needed for the context of the research, the proponent will observe environments that has implemented the School Improvement Plan. However, this study will not limit itself in isolated phenomena but rather broaden its network for a more concrete context for the research, in which every variable which is significant will be considered as necessary for the accomplishment of the results/findings of the study.

Introduction:
In every community there lies a school which serves as the primary institution that caters productive learning and character formation to the children of that community. As such, the school being a learning epitome is mandated to perform its two-fold task: the task of providing knowledge and honing the skills of its target clientele and the task of molding the moral fiber of the children by inculcating in them the proper values. In order to carry out this obligation the school must be equipped with the necessary resources that are use in fulfilling its function. All schools want their pupils/students to succeed, however due to some circumstances; this vision is somehow bog down as the lack of resources and dilapidated physical facilities leads or contribute to the inadequate delivery of quality education, as in the case of schools located in the rural areas of the Philippines, and as a research site for the study, here in Region VIII wherein the conditions of the school is far more behind compared to that situated in the urban communities. These schools are characterized with a substandard physical facilities and minimal educational materials that is insufficient for the learning of the children.
From this point of view, the School Improvement Plan, a five-year development plan which aims to improve both the physical and academic condition of a school was conceived as an initiative solution in line with the R.A. 9155 of the Governance of Basic Act Education and the School Based Management Program thrust of the Department of Education, it is in making a difference in which of school improvement planning concept was born. (DepEd, Handbooks for the Preparation of the School Improvement Plan, 2006)
SIP seeks first to determine the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the school and then from this gathered data formulate analysis that will help solve the problems of the school. The School Improvement plan was conceived since the school can only make a lasting difference when they specific goals and strategies for change. School improvement planning is a process in which the school set goals for improvement and make decisions about how and when these goals will be achieved; and the ultimate objective of the process is to improve the pupils/student level by enhancing the way curriculum is delivered, improving physical facilities and creating a positive environment with a more conducive learning. Further, it also fosters and strengthens parents involvement in their children’s learning at school and home.
The purpose of the SIP is to serve as a road map that set out the changes a school needs to make to improve the level of achievement made by the students/pupils in the academic field. School Improvement Plans are selective in the sense that they help school administrators, teachers, parents and student’s council to know what to focus and what to do in the future. It encourages the teaching staff, parents and other stakeholder’s that are known to influence the student’s success, to have an up-to-date and reliable information about the performance of the students considering that the school will be able to respond to the needs of the students if the teachers, parents and other stakeholders have knowledge over this matter. A reason for this is that SIP serves as a mechanism in which the public can hold the school accountable for student success and through which it can measure improvement.
One of the first steps in formulating the SIP - a very crucial one - is the involvement of the teachers, parent, student council and community members and work to gather analyse information about the school and its students so that what is needed for the improvement of the school will be determined. Everyone involved in or interested in the operation of schools has a role to play in the improvement planning process. District school boards and superintendents of education play important roles in setting directions and in supporting and monitoring school improvement plans. The most important work, however, takes place within the school community itself. The principal, head teacher or the teacher-in-charge, as the persons responsible for administering the school and for providing instructional leadership, is ultimately responsible for improvement planning. But the entire school community should be actively involved in all stages of the process: planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating progress. As the plan is implemented schools continue to gather this kind of data. By comparing the new data to the initial information on which the plan was based, the school facilitators can measure the success of the improvement strategies. (DepEd, Ibid.)
Real change takes time. It is important that all partners understand this as they enter into the school improvement planning process. Incremental improvements are significant and should be celebrated, but it does not constitute lasting change. Therefore, it is best suited to have a five-year plan for SIP. During initial deliberations, or as time goes on, schools may wish to extend the plan for additional years to ensure that it maintain the focus and reach the goals. In any case, school improvement plans should be considered working documents that schools use to monitor progress over time and to make revisions when necessary to ensure that the plans stay on course. (Education Improvement Commission, November 2000)
During initial deliberations or as time goes on, schools may wish to extend the plan for additional years to ensure that it maintain their focus and reach their goals. In any case, school improvement plans should be considered working documents that schools use to monitor their progress over time and to make revisions when necessary to ensure that the plans stay on course. In developing their school’s improvement plan, the principal, staff, school council, parents, and other community members work through a variety of activities focused on three areas of priority: curriculum delivery, school environment, and parental involvement. For each of these areas, the school improvement plan will establish a goal statement, performance targets, areas of focus, implementation strategies, timelines and persons responsible for implementing the strategies, status updates and opportunities for revision. (EIC, ibid.)
In the implementation of the SIP school-community partnership or the inter-action between the school’s stakeholders is substantial for the school, considering that when there is a collaborative effort in the school community it results to various opportunities and help ensure the success of plans and activities. School-community partnership will enable schools to continuously perform better depends mainly on the ability of the schools to tap and use effectively and efficiently. As stakeholders they will work together and share the vision and accountability for the learning outcomes of students. It helps develop interventions to improve teaching process and draw greater support from the community. The inter-action between the stakeholders help the school undertake evaluation and determine the problems and the resources needed to improve teaching-learning process in order to formulate improvement plans. Moreover, it also helps continue to reengineer systems and procedures to increase the efficiency of the schools, procurement of goods and services, financial management, management information system and teacher welfare. As such, it is important to know the possible contributions that the school’s stakeholders will impart in the program of activities that is stipulated in the plan and in a larger sense the possible impact the implementation of the SIP can bring to the development of the stakeholders. (DepEd, Primer on School-Community Partnership. 2006)
Stakeholders has an important part in school empowerment, their crucial role is to transform the school into a more conducive learning environment. The term “stakeholder” in a larger sense is broad and for the benefit of this study should be defined as it is. Stakeholders are individuals who take part in the administration and facilitation of the programs and policies of the school. The term stake holder is categorized into two distinct aspects: Internal stakeholders and external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders refer to those individuals who are directly in connection in the implementations of programs in the school and serves as internal factors such as the school head, students and student organization, teachers (Non-teaching and teaching associations), school governing councils, parents of the students and parents association, therefore this term refers to those who belongs to the school community. On the other hand the, External Stakeholders refer to those who are outside the school community and are indirectly involved in the implementation of its programs but in one way or another contributes to the development of the school by providing the needed resources. Those that fall into this category are the various government agencies, local government units, local and foreign organizations. (DepEd, Ibid.)
This dissertation seeks to determine whether the implementation of the School Improvement Plan can serve as a model for a training program for stakeholders. Looking at the above mentioned definition, it is suffice to say that it said indictment is applicable only to the internal stakeholders considering that it is impossible to train the external stakeholders since they are indirectly involve in the school and are merely external factors whose contributions to the school are through the needed resources that these individuals provide. Therefore, the research will concern the internal stakeholders and concentrate its discussion for them in order to provide context for the study and to come up with the optimum outcomes.


Statement of the Problem:
This dissertation seeks to determine the correlation of the implementation of SIP to the development of the school’s stakeholders. Variables which will provide context to the study should be determine in order to come up with the sound and justifiable results. As such, the study should know what and where to focus by trying to figure out the substantial points that should be taken into consideration. Moreover, since the topic of the research will center on the implementation of SIP and its relation to the stakeholders, it is from these two where the data gathering should be initiated. Technically, in attempt to derive with a conclusion the study will aim to answer the following questions:
1. What is the nature and ideological background that serves as the backbone
for the concept of the School Improvement Plan?
a. What is School Improvement Plan?
b. What are the difference between a School Improvement Plan and
School Development Plan? Why is it drawn up?
c. What is the purpose of the School Improvement Plan and who are
involve in its formulation?
d. What are the time frames and logistics of the SIP and what are its
key phases?
2. How can the School Improvement Plan improve the academic performance
of the students?
3. In what way can the implementation of the School Improvement Plan
correlates with the school stakeholders? How will it serve as a basis for a
training program for the stakeholder?

Hypothesis:
This study will attempt to prove the following hypothesis:
1. That it is held the implementation of the School Improvement Plan can serve as a
basis for a training program for stakeholders.
a. that the SIP can serve as a draft for the improvement of the school’s internal
stakeholders since it has already define the weaknesses of the school;
b. that the training program of the stakeholders is in turn beneficial for the
school.

Major Assumption:
The Implementation of the School Improvement Plan, a development plan which aims to enhance the academic performance of the School is also a blue-print for a training program of the school’s internal stakeholders.

Purpose of the Study:
General:
The purpose of this dissertation is to determine the components of the SIP and know the correlational interference between its implementation and the stakeholders. It wants to learn the possible outcomes when the SIP is implemented and how the stakeholders will administer it. Further, this study seeks to discover in what manner the SIP can serve as a draft for a training program intended for the school’s stakeholders and in what manner can it contribute to the development of the school. Moreover, the intricate circumstances that there is a vis-à-vis connection between the implementation of the SIP and the stakeholder’s training program and the innate probability that it will foster the improvement of the school is also of this study’s primary concern.

Specific:
a. To know the nature of SIP and its ideological framework
b. To know it relevance to school empowerment
c. To determine the possible outcomes of its implementation
d. To connect it to the development of the stakeholders





Scope and Limitation of the Study:
The scope of this study will cover the components of the School Improvement Plan and altogether its implementation, monitoring and evaluation, specifically on the method it was implemented by the school. Its discussion will also present the involvement of its stakeholders and how will the SIP becomes a draft for a training program intended for the stakeholders. To provide context for the study, the proponent will observe various sites which has formulated or implemented the SIP and to what extent has the implementation had reached, in which the response of the stakeholders will also be put into consideration. The study will limit its discussion between the implementation of the SIP and its relation to the stakeholders and will not go beyond the topic. However, the study will not limit its context by gathering data on isolated phenomena but rather broaden its network in order to derive a better outcome for the study.

Significance of the Study:
This study will be relevant for those persons who are involved in the administration of the school and wants to have a deeper understanding regarding the School Improvement Plan and how it is implemented. More likely, it will benefit the readers since it will expand their knowledge on the subject matter and helps them in their substantial decision makings. Further, these will also serve as guidance for those who will indulge in a training program for stakeholders.

Methodology:
To come up with a concrete conclusion the study will apply as its research design the literary way of analytical thinking an interpretative method of approach using qualitative and quantitative methods in order to give substantial analysis to the gathered data and therefore come up with a more logical and reasonable results for the research study.



Definition of Keyterms:
In this dissertation some words were used by the proponent that are necessary for the study, however for the better understanding of the readers the definition are provided as follows:
SIP - (School Improvement Plan) A programme of action that a school
undertakes in order to effect improvement, especially in areas of
particular need but also of the school as a whole.
School Community Partnership - any relationship and collaboration between and
among educators, students, families and
community at large to work together in bringing
about better and improved school performance.
SBM - (School Based Management Program)
the decentralization of the decision making authority to school heads
wherein at school level school heads, teachers, students, parents and
community work together to improve the school’s performance.
DepEd - Primary legal agency that handles the education system in Primary and
Intermediate level.
Stakeholders - as defined in the study, these refers to the individuals who work or
participate in the programs of the school. It is categorized into two:
Internal Stakeholder - individuals who directly participate in the
programs of the school they are:
- School Head
- Teachers
- Students
- Parents

External Stakeholder - individuals who indirectly involve in the
programs of the school but plays an important
role, in which they mobilize the resources
needed for the school.

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

In a study it has been found out that despite the clear commitment of governments and international agencies to the education sector, efficient and equitable access to education is still proving to be elusive for many people around the world. Girls, indigenous peoples, and other poor and marginalized groups often have only limited access to education. These access issues are being addressed with great commitment in international initiatives, such as Education for All, in which resources are being channeled to low-income countries to help them to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for education. However, even where children do have access to educational facilities, the quality of education that is provided is often very poor. This has become increasingly apparent in international learning tests such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), in which most of the students from developing countries fail to excel. There is evidence that merely increasing resource allocations will not increase the equity or improve the quality of education in the absence of institutional reforms. (Hanushek and Woessmann, 2007).
Governments around the world are introducing a range of strategies aimed at improving the financing and delivery of education services, with a more recent emphasis on improving quality as well as increasing quantity (enrollments) in education. One such strategy is to decentralize education decision-making by increasing parental and community involvement in schools—which is popularly known as school-based management (SBM). The argument in favor of SBM is that decentralizing decision- making authority to parents and communities fosters demand and ensures that schools provide the social and economic benefits that best reflect the priorities and values of those local communities (Lewis, 2006; and Leithwood and Menzies, 1998).
Education reforms in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries tend to share some common characteristics of this kind, including increased school autonomy, greater responsiveness to local needs, and the overall objective of improving students’ academic performance. Most countries whose students perform well in international student achievement tests give local authorities and schools substantial autonomy to decide the content of their curriculum and the allocation and management of their resources. (World Bank, “What is School-Based Management;” Novemeber 2007)
An increasing number of developing countries are introducing SBM reforms aimed at empowering principals and teachers or at strengthening their professional motivation, thereby enhancing their sense of ownership of the school. Many of these reforms have also strengthened parental involvement in the schools, sometimes by means of school councils. Almost 11 percent of all projects in the World Bank’s education portfolio for fiscal years 2000–06 supported school-based management, a total of 17 among about 157 projects. This represents $1.74 billion or 23 percent of the World Bank’s total education financing. The majority of SBM projects in the World Bank’s current portfolio are in Latin American and South Asian countries, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, and Sri Lanka. In addition, a number of current and upcoming projects in the Africa region have a component focused on strengthening school-level committees and SBM. There are also two World Bank-supported SBM projects in Europe and Central Asia (in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and in Serbia and Montenegro) and one each in East Asia and the Pacific (the Philippines), and in the Middle East and North Africa (Lebanon). (World Bank, Ibid.)
The few well-documented cases of SBM implementation that have been subject to rigorous impact evaluations have already been reviewed elsewhere. The definition of SBM broadly to include community-based management and parental participation schemes but do not explicitly include stand-alone, or one-off, school grants programs that are not meant to be permanent alterations in school management.
SBM programs lie along a continuum in terms of the degree to which decision-making is devolved to the local level. Some devolve only a single area of autonomy, whereas others go further and devolve the power to hire and fire teachers and authority over substantial resources, while at the far end of the spectrum there are those that encourage the private and community management of schools as well as allow parents to create schools. Thus, there are both strong and weak versions of SBM based on how much decision-making power has been transferred to the school. The World Bank’s World Development Report 2004 (WDR 2004) presented a conceptual framework for SBM. The WDR argues that school autonomy and accountability can help to solve some fundamental problems in education. While increasing resource flows and support to the education sector is one aspect of increasing the access of the poor to better quality education, it is by no means sufficient. The SBM approach aims to improve service delivery to the poor by increasing their choice and participation in service delivery, by giving citizens a voice in school management by making information widely available, and by strengthening the incentives for schools to deliver effective services to the poor and by penalizing those who fail to deliver. (World Bank, Ibid.)
SBM is the decentralization of authority from the central government to the school level. School-based management can be viewed conceptually as a formal alteration of governance structures, as a form of decentralization that identifi es the individual school as the primary unit of improvement and relies on the redistribution of decision-making authority as the primary means through which improvement might be stimulated and sustained. (DepEd, “Primer on School-Based Management Program;” 2006)
Thus, in SBM, responsibility for, and decision-making authority over, school operations is transferred to principals, teachers, and parents, and sometimes to students and other school community members. However, these school-level actors have to conform to or operate within a set of policies determined by the central government. SBM programs exist in many different forms, both in terms of who has the power to make decisions and in terms of the degree of decision-making that is devolved to the school level. While some programs transfer authority only to principals or teachers, others encourage or mandate parental and community participation, often as members of school committees (or school councils or school management committees). In general, SBM programs transfer authority over one or more of the following activities: budget allocation, the hiring and firing of teachers and other school staff, curriculum development, the procurement of textbooks and other educational material, infrastructure improvements, and the monitoring and evaluation of teacher performance and student learning outcomes. (DepEd, Ibid.)
The theory behind School Based Management is the fostering of school empowerment that it might lead to quality education. Good education is not only about physical inputs, such as classrooms, teachers, and textbooks, but also about incentives that lead to better instruction and learning. Education systems are extremely demanding of the managerial, technical, and financial capacity of governments, and, thus, as a service, education is too complex to be efficiently produced and distributed in a centralized fashion. The idea behind choice and competition is that parents who are interested in maximizing their children’s learning outcomes are able to choose to send their children to the most productive (in terms of academic results) school that they can find. This demand-side pressure on schools will thus improve the performance of all schools if they want to compete for students. Similarly, local decision-making and fiscal decentralization can have positive effects on school outcomes such as test scores or graduation rates by holding the schools accountable for the “outputs” that it produced.
In the context of developed countries, the core idea behind SBM is that those who work in a school building should have greater control of the management of what goes on in the building. In developing countries, the idea behind SBM is less ambitious, in that it focuses mainly on involving community and parents in the school decision-making process rather than putting them entirely in control. However, in both cases, the central government always plays some role in education, and the precise definition of this role affects how SBM activities are conceived and implemented.
SBM in almost all of its manifestations involves community members in school decision-making. Because these community members are usually parents of children enrolled in the school, they have an incentive to improve their children’s education. As a result, SBM can be expected to improve student achievement and other outcomes as these local people demand closer monitoring of school personnel, better student evaluations, a closer match between the school’s needs and its policies, and a more efficient use of resources. (DepEd. Ibid.)
SBM has several other benefits. Under these arrangements, schools are managed more transparently, thus reducing opportunities for corruption. Also, SBM often gives parents and stakeholders opportunities to increase their skills. In some cases, training in shared decision-making, interpersonal skills, and management skills is offered to school council members so that they can become more capable participants in the SBM process and at the same time benefit the community as a whole. (Briggs and Wohlstetter, 1999)
One of the activities of the School Based Management Program thrust that has been imposed by the Department of Education is the formulation and implementation of the School Improvement Plan, which is a three to five years program of action which embodies the school’s mission and vision, and undertaken by the school in order to effect improvement, especially in areas of particular need but also in the school as a whole. It is drawn up in response to findings and recommendations made in its self-evaluation and in the external evaluation. A SIP serves to inform and guide the school towards improvement, address the areas of development, enable the school to be more effective learning institution, enhance the accountability of the school to take responsibility and ownership in addressing problem areas and foster collective and cooperative responsibility in regarding educational initiatives. (EIC, School Improvement Planning: Handbook, 2000)












CHAPTER III
DATA AND METHODS

Conceptual Framework of the Study:
The formulation of the School Improvement Plan started with the dream to make a difference in the delivery of education. The efforts of the Department of Education can be summed up with the new directions and policies that it undertakes to foster school empowerment and to enable schools to move forward optimistically into the path of monumental development. This dramatic shift was spurred by the enactment of the R.A. 9155 or otherwise known as “the Governance of Basic Education Act” which offers a clear indictment of general support for basic education through processes that empowers the schools. It’s on this premised that the view on the implementation of the School Improvement Plan was conceived, accordingly it was pointed out that empowered schools can become better and more effective learning organizations when given freedom to make decisions on what they think is best for the learnes. (DepEd, Handbook on the Preparation of School Improvement Plan, 2006)
The process of school improvement planning is a shared responsibility; it needs school-community partnership in order to realize its objectives. One basic indicator of a high performing and empowered school is the willingness of various stakeholders to work collaboratively for the development of the school. It is for the main reason that an empowered school takes full advantage of the diversity resources and the energies of the stakeholders for the development purposes of the school.
SIP is the main vehicle through which schools will walk to the path of improvement. It is carefully structured to focus on key goals and strategies which will lead to greater student learning and a more effective school organization. A SIP is a development plan which embodies the school and the community’s vision of the future as well as the strategies and activities that the school wants to undertake to attain its objectives and able school to negotiate development initiatives.

It is a comprehensive overview of major principles to which school stakeholders will be dedicated to at least five years. The SIP will describes areas which are needed to be prioritize and for which the school will commit its resources. Activities outlined in an improvement plan will take the school beyond the maintenance of present strengths towards a more conducive learning. Involved in the formulation of the SIP are the various stakeholders which comprise of all individuals that participates in the improvement of the school, the school administrators, teachers, students, parents, local government units and NGO’s, etc. With the involvement of the school and community, the school improvement process will be put in place of systematic method of upgrading the delivery of educational resources at school level. It involves the analysis of the schools priority improvement areas and setting appropriate areas. (DepEd, Ibid.)
The SIP has its legal basis. It was ground on the principles of the Local Government Code of the Philippines or R.A. 7160 which enables communities to be more effective partners in the attainment of national goals. Second is the Multi-term Philippine Development Plan that requires localized educational management that would enable schools to focus on enhancing initiative, creativity, innovation and effectiveness. Then the earlier mentioned Governance of Basic Education Act or R.A. 9155 that emphasizes decentralization of school governance. Another legal basis for SIP is the internationally supported School Based Management Program (SBM). Moreover, it is also supported by the Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda that provides package of policy reforms focused on Key Reform Thrusts that deals on the continuous school improvement through the involvement of the stakeholders. It is anchored on the principle that those who are directly involved in and affected by the school’s operations are in the best position to plan, manage and improve the school. Lastly, is the Schools First Initiative of 2004 which empowers educational leaders and stakeholders to focus on school improvement. (DepEd, Ibid.)
In formulating the SIP it is best to determine the areas that should be considered for improvement. The over-all objective of school improvement planning is an enhanced level of student academic performance, to effect real change the process needs to be focus on specific priorities. Student performance improves when teachers use curriculum-delivery strategies that specifically address the needs of the students, when the school environment is positive and when parents are involved in their children’s education. In planning improvements, therefore, schools should establish one priority in each of these three areas—curriculum delivery, school environment, and parental involvement. (DepEd, Handbook on the Preparation of the School Improvement. 2006)
Curriculum is the foundation of the education system. The Department of Education has published curriculum policy documents that set out expectations for student learning in each grade and subject area. These expectations describe the knowledge and skills that students are expected to develop and to demonstrate in their class work, on tests, and in various other activities on which their achievement is assessed. The policy documents also contain achievement charts (“rubrics”) that help teachers assess the level of each student’s achievement in relation to the expectations. The achievement levels are brief descriptions of four possible levels of student achievement. These descriptions, which are used along with more traditional indicators like letter grades and percentage marks, are among a number of tools that teachers use to assess students’ learning. To set a goal for improving the way curriculum is delivered, principals, teachers, school councils, parents, and other community members participating in the improvement planning process must understand the academic expectations set out by the DepEd and how well the students in their school are achieving those expectations.
Effective schools share a set of characteristics that add up to an environment that fosters student achievement. By setting goals to improve a school’s environment, principals, teachers, school councils, parents, and other community members can make their schools more effective places in which to learn. Highly effective schools are; possessed with a clear and focused vision, a safe and orderly environment, a climate of high expectations for the student’s success, a focus on high levels of student achievement that emphasizes activities related to learning, a school head who provides instructional leadership, frequent monitoring of student progress, strong home-school relations.
Research tells us that parental involvement is one of the most significant factors contributing to a child’s success in school. When parents are involved in their children’s education, the level of student achievement increases. Students attend school more regularly, complete more homework in a consistent manner, and demonstrate more positive attitudes towards school. These students also are more likely to complete school. Parental involvement helps a child succeed in school and later in life. To ensure parents are informed about and involved in their children’s education, schools must foster partnerships with parents. Because parental involvement is one of the most significant factors in a child’s success, it is crucial that all schools set a goal in their improvement plans for increasing it. With a better understanding of the three priority areas of the school, it can also give way to the creation of a program that will provide the stakeholders expanded knowledge that they may be able to understand more deeply the management of the school.

Research Design:
The study is compose of a discussion regarding the implementation of the School Improvement Plan and its possible correlation to the development of the stakeholders, which is a specific manifestation that the said study is an experimental one considering that the results are yet to be discovered. In order to derive with a justifiable conclusion, the proponent decides to have as its research design the literary analytical way of thinking using both qualitative and quantitative method of approach for a more sound experimental results. The qualitative part of the study will give interpretations to the data gathered while the quantitative part will serve as a medium that will prove the statistical problem of the study, in which variance analysis can give credit to an optimum finding. The “onion skin” research approach which has a multi-layered method of observation and analysis is best equipped for the study since it will help provide substantial evidence for its findings and its interpretation will be systematically treated, in which every layer will of discussion will be scrutinized under a microscopic eye.
Since qualitative research is a situated activity that imposes to the researcher to take part in the environment of the study in order to feel the fluctuating situations, the study will consists of a set of interpretive, material practices that will make the context more visible since these practices will transform every gathered data into a sound analysis for an optimum outcome. It’s for the reason that it turn the experimental sites into a series of representations, including field notes, interviews, conversations, photographs, recordings, and memos to the self. At this level, qualitative research involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to the study. This means that qualitative research method prefers to study things in their natural settings and attempts to interpret any given variables that are significant to the study which proves that this approach implies a realistic view. Most importantly, since the researcher personally studies the environment, it gives opportunity to gain a better understanding through personal interaction and explore the directions that the research participants and their experiences may take that contributes to the reason why certain situation fluctuates.
The design of this study seeks to answer the issue by means of accomplishing the following characteristics that are essential for a concrete study as outlined is Garman (1994):
• verity (intellectual authenticity)
• integrity (structural soundness)
• rigor (depth of intellect)
• utility (professional usefulness)
• vitality (meaningfulness)
• aesthetics (enrichment)
• ethics (consideration of dignity and privacy of participants)
• verisimilitude (sufficient detail to warrant transferability)
By using the “onion skin method” gathered data will be screened in step-by-step and layer-by-layer, scrutinizing each element making a maintained steady progress as it will turn these variables into a substantial fact and at the end of the day will help the traps of tangents, irrelevance, data mismanagement or disorganization, shallow interpretation, bias, and weak analysis. On the other hand, the quantitative approach will give verifiable statistical indicators for the study and therefore provide a more logical reasoning as it proves what the study seeks to prove.

Research Methodology:
The research will use both qualitative and quantitative analytical approach in order to prove the assumptions of the study which concerns the correlational interference between the implementation of the SIP and stakeholders or in a more specific manner how will it serve as a blue print for a training program. since this dissertation aims to provide a deeper understanding of the said issue, by applying qualitative research, observations will be utilized by the proponent in order to determine the variables that are needed in order to come up with an absolute result. Since this is an experimental study, to justify the interpretative findings statistical operations and variance method of analysis should be applied, since it is significant to use quantitative analysis. It is also needed for the research to be back-up with a qualitative case study since it will provide additional context for the study. The qualitative case study will be grounded in an outline that:
1) investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident;
2) Copes with the technically distinctive situation in which there will be many more variables of interest than data points: and as one result relies on multiple sources of evidence, with data needing to converge in a triangulating fashion; and as another result, benefits from the prior development of theoretical propositions to guide data collection and analysis.
The case study for this dissertation is bounded by several contexts, the students/pupils, the teachers themselves and their experiences in the delivery of values education program and the response of the students/pupils to it involve in the formulation and implementation of the School Improvement Plan. The study is situated within these interlocking contexts. The findings will be discovered through qualitative research techniques, in which the relationships and resulting interactions between the school and stakeholders will be considered. This analysis will provide the concept that the School Improvement Plan can become guidance for a training intended for developing the school’s stakeholders.




Data Analysis:
Qualitative case study research amasses huge amounts of raw data; therefore, it is essential to maintain the data in an organized and timely fashion. More importantly, preliminary data analysis must be conducted immediately post-collection or better yet, the right way to analyze data in a qualitative study is to do it simultaneously with data collection.
More specifically, an outline for a detailed procedure of data gathering and analysis - will aid the simultaneous nature of the work.
• coding (organizing and theming data)
• policing (detecting bias and preventing tangents)
• dictating field notes (as opposed to verbatim recordings)
• connoisseurship (researcher knowledge of issues and context of the site)
• progressive focusing and funneling (winnowing data and investigative technique
as study progresses)
• interim site summaries (narrative reviews of research progress)
• memoing (formal noting and sharing of emerging issues), and,
• outlining (standardized writing formats)
While these procedures were used in a large, multi-site study, research for thisdissertation will utilize a similar format, making a few changes to accomplish a similar task for a smaller study with a single researcher. This particular data collection / analysis will substitute transcribed interviews and written field notes for the dictated field notes; and it will combine the elements of summaries, memos, and outlines into a reflective research journal kept by the researcher. These procedures will attempt to organize the data as it is collected; such procedures mark a fine line between data collection and analysis, thus easing the task of simultaneous collection and analysis. After reviewing all the data sources, the materials will be manually coded and preliminary meaning generated from the interviews, observation field notes, and participant artifacts. The data analysis will proceed from noting patterns and themes to arriving at comparisons and contrasts to determining conceptual explanations of the case study.

Data Collection:
Data collection will be done in selected learning institutions in Region VIII. All gathered data from participant resources will be collected with explicit permission from the participants and in full compliance with review board. In accordance with qualitative research tradition multiple data sources will be collected. Data used in this dissertation is organized into four sets: the primary set is made up of interview data, which will comprise approximately three one-hour audio semi-structured interviews. This interview data will be triangulated by the following:
1) participant artifacts (lesson plans, classroom materials, personal reflection papers, and student/pupil participation or work), observations, and field notes (a minimum of five, one-hour field-based observations);
2) Teacher interviews
3) other resources including copies of district and state lesson design
guidelines for values education.
The use of interviews and observations are commonplace in qualitative case study research, it serves as one manner of obtaining an insider or perspective regarding the issues being studied.
The interaction between researcher and participant through the interview is, the establishment of human-to-human relation with the respondent and the desire to understand rather than to explain. Interviews with the participants will be semi-structured; this provides for consistent investigation of particular topics with the participant and basic introductory questions, but also affords flexibility to engage in natural conversation that provides deeper insight for the study.

Research Site & Participants:
The participants for this study are the teachers, administrators and students of the selected schools within the area of Region VIII that has implemented the DepEd thrust the formulation of the School Improvement Plan, and will serve as observation sites for the proponent and will provide data and context to the study, and being the variables will determine the result for this research.

Advancing Brilliance in Character Program: Basis for Human Resource Program

Chapter I
PRELIMINARIES

Abstract
This dissertation focus on values construction pedagogy as it manifest the understanding and teaching strategies of teachers engaging in the practice, and by the means in which the values education serves as a socio-constructivist concept and follow its application on diverse classrooms and the results of successes, hesitations and negotiations is of primary interest of this study. Further, the study will hopefully emphasize the possible relevance of the latest Department of Education thrust; the “Advancing Brilliance in Character Program” which is guided by the humanistic framework of the DepEd’s Values Education Program maintaining that at the core of development is the dignity of the human person as the subject and object of all initiatives, as well as maintaining the seven dimensions of a human person and puts in the related core values that are adhered to most significantly of all people.
The ABC program which aims to improve the teaching in values education and enhance the character of every student will be the focal topic of this dissertation; the study will determine how it will serve as a basis for a human resource development program. The study will propagate the idea that a values education program can serve as a basis for developing the human resource in the country. How values education is articulated, understood in the vocabulary or expressive techniques and what will it impart to an individual’s character development. The purpose is to understand the process by which the educational ideal translates the permanent values of the society and incorporate it to an individual. It seeks to find whether the enhanced values education program will produced any changes on the student’s level of humane values.
Research on values education takes place within many disciplines and at many levels, ranging from various analysis and field observations. Many studies have focused on tightly controlled and isolated phenomena that try to eliminate irrelevant data and providing stabilized results. Unfortunately, it is difficult to apply these results to realistic learning situations, which tend to be uncontrolled and strongly influenced by the environment. For this reason, such methodical approach is not feasible for the study.
In order to determine the absolute answer for the study, systematic methods of qualitative research and analysis will be use in conducting it, in which the study will not limit its data gathering in isolated phenomena but rather will try to broaden its network by also observing other schools which had already implemented the said program in order to come up with best results.
Moreover, the intricate circumstances of schools and teachers implementing this program will provide context for a qualitative case study that will be conducted from an interpretative epistemological perspective.

Introduction:
Values act as a powerful leaven in the life of people - the life which today is fraught with conflict-and-dissension-ridden situations in which the hearts are stricken by the canker of greed, corruption and incompetence; and its remedy, under the existing conditions is in noose, the more it thugs the more it chokes. It is for the reason that no system of human organization that is false in its very principle, in its very foundation can save itself by any amount of cleverness and efficiency in the means by which that falsehood is carried out and maintained in any amount of superficial adjustment and tinkering, let alone and only education based on permanent values that can withstand the test of time.
Typically, our society relies heavily on education when it comes to the character development of a certain individual, for the reason that education serves as a double edged tool with two distinct functions: first to provide adequate knowledge to its target clientele and the second one is to shape a person’s attitude and values that he/she may become a good and a productive citizen in the future.

Education has long evolved since it was conceived, from concentrating predominantly on the academic portion now it has come to incorporate in its system the importance of an education program which pertains to values and moral issues, not only as an academic exercise but rather partnered with obligations of schools and teachers in imparting personal and social development to their clientele.
Values education is now inherent in every learning institution as it seeks to provide character development for every individual it caters, considering that the broad objectives of this program in the primary and secondary levels to begin with lies on the development of an individual who recognizes, accepts and internalizes his/her role as a responsible person in accordance with the permanent values of a democratic society to the extent that his/her actions are governed within the boundaries of this values.
At present, man-made values are directly and indirectly in a subject or across the curriculum; aside from a values education program, values oriented contexts commonly occur in the teaching and learning of languages and social studies as well in physical education and social activities wherein extra-curricular activities like sports, clubs and societies also incorporates values as it also plays roles in the inculcation of desirable behaviors in terms of interaction with one another.

The school culture, referring to the total environment, both physical and non-physical has an influence for embedding values in the moral fiber of the student cartel. In some schools, values have been made centerpieces of the curriculum, special activities are being exercised for students to discuss the meaning of values and sometimes set a day in a week to undertake projects such as communication services, to put values in practice. In addition, values are sprinkled into the formal curriculum where texts are discussed from moral and ethical standpoints.
All of this is often done while the school adheres to the code of behavior collectively negotiated at the outset of the year that draws on the values of the national framework. Moreover, the values that is the focus of the curriculum in every school has been integrated through the discussion of the school community about the agreed code of desirable conduct, thus the learning and teaching process becomes saturated with values. (McGohlen, Meghan Kathleen, May 2004)
By putting values at the center of the curriculum, schools establish ideal conditions for learning invoking quality teaching. As the values becomes common practice, they have a positive effect on learning, giving respect for example requires that one should listen carefully to what other people is saying. Practicing care and compassion might involve helping someone in learning a task. Showing respect and compassion can lead the students to developing greater self-respect. Having greater self-respect helps one to do best, such environment in provides a more enhancing learning.
In implementing their values education program, schools often adopt a student-centered-teacher-guided approach, simply put it means that teachers identify the general terrain for teaching and learning. This is a methodical approach since the teachers are better equipped and placed to know where to commence, however with this approach then allow the students to take part and take the lead. The terrain is the set of values that has been broadly agreed upon by the school community and to be explored by the students. (McGoghlen, ibid. 2004)
The notion of exploration in this approach carries quite a particular meaning for the school since it involves a continuous process of trying to put the agreed values into practice, when teacher’s step back and let the pupil’s lead, they served as a model in which values is practiced wherein the teachers showed respect for the students and their contributions. For this reason, students may feel motivated by this; they develop a real appreciation of the values through the interpersonal interactions that occur in the classroom.
Through these classroom interactions the students acquire unfettered capability to reflect, think and look back to some event, inter-personal episode or personally confronting experience, consider the impact it had and how to plan things to work better next time. In doing so, students became self-reliant individuals as they gain self-knowledge and become self-managers. And as these interactions are formed by applications of the values, when added to the opportunities of putting it to practice, the school will begin to live out the values in the national framework.
The latest thrust of the Department of Education Regional Office VIII, “Advancing Brilliance in Character Program,” which is being initiated in schools within the region is the brainchild of its Regional Director Sol Matugas, is guided by the humanistic framework of the DepEd’s Values Education Program that maintains human dignity as subject and object of all initiatives even at the core of development, which also maintains the human person’s seven dimensions and put in the related core values that are adhered by most people.
The said program aims to improve the teaching in character values education and enhance the character development of every pupil and student through lesson exemplars, and the teachers were given task to inculcate in the minds of the children two or more positive values which are essential in character development. The Curriculum for Values Education under the “Advancing Brilliance in Character Program” would consist of values drawn from positive Filipino values such as being Makatao (Humane), Maka-Diyos (Godliness), Pagkamakabayan (Love of Country), Pakikipagkapwa (Brotherhood) and Pagkamakalikasan (Harmony with nature) which will be reflected through the teaching process. (DepEd, 2006)
These values would be essential to ensure the healthy interaction between the individual and his/her family, peers and society. For reinforcement, consolidation and inculcation, these values would be repeatedly taught at every level of teaching, though the values that would be taught would be the same, the scope and emphasis will differ according to the depth and complexity of the issues treated. The scope of discussion for every value would also widen up to keep at par with the maturity of the students. The reflection of these values in the student’s behavior would be the end product of the teaching-learning process and will be seen in the widening relationship being projected within his/her family, peer and school that would be expanded on national and inter-national level in the future.
One of the questions that the study seeks to answer is the relevance of the said program to the human resources management or in other words how can it served as a program that also opts develop the human resource by honing the character and the personality of individuals indulging in the working force that they may become globally competitive not only in terms of skill but also when it comes to moral fiber.
Personality and character is the core or the kernel of man’s morality. In the working field it serves as the basis for human resource recruitment, as magnified by the various requirements being asked by an employer as well a rigorous personal assessment of individual’s character in order to justify the their being a competent and responsible individual. Therefore, with the more integrated values education program which aims to inculcate early in the minds of the children positive values it would be suffice to make an assumption that the said program can also serve as a basis or in a more absolute point of view as a program for human resource development.
The study will seek to determine the possible result of the said program of the Department of Education, and as stated above know the contributions that it can provide to the development of the human resource as well as determining the possible socio-economic impact that the said values program can bring in the future. By and large, the ideological and social foundations of this assumption will be worked out by using systematic methods of research and analysis.
The ideological basis would provide the foundations for the cognitive inputs as well as all outputs of the socio-constructivism pedagogy of values, in which the foundations might give a positive economic foresight for an instance, if the said program will have positive output and potentially develop the future human resources of the country it will bring out economic stability, and as well as personal and social developments as values is embedded in our education system.







Statement of the Problem:
This dissertation seeks to determine the relevance of the ABC program to the character formation of the children and how will it correlates with the development of the human resources. It plans to expound the understanding on the core of the ABC program and the relevant circumstances that it could provide for societal change. In order to come up with a definite conclusion, the study will attempt to answer the following questions:
1. What is the Advance Brilliance in Character Program?
a. What is its composition?
b. What are the methods/strategies that will be use in implementing
the said program?

c. How do teachers understand the said program and the
conceptual core that fosters it?

2. Can it be an appropriate method for behavioral classroom
management? How can it help uplift the academic performance of the
children?

3. How can it help instill in the children the positive Filipino values and
how can it can it bring cultural development?

4. Can it be the solution for the prevalent moral issues in our society? How
effective is it in shaping an individual’s character?

5. What is its possible relation to human resource management? Can it
serve as a basis for a human resource program? How can it help
develop/improve the human resources in the country?






Purpose of the Study:
General:
This dissertation proposal aims to discover the composition of the Advancing Brilliance in Character Program of the DepEd altogether its over-all socio-constructivist concept and how it will foster values formation to the children. Further, this study aims to correlate the said program to human resources, and determine if it can serve as a basis for developing the latter.

Specific:
a. To know the nature of the program and its implementation of activities
b. Its conceptual and ideological framework
c. Its social and economic impact
d. To assess the effectiveness of the program in values formation
e. Its possible impact to the human resource

Scope and Limitation of the Study:
The scope of the study has two aspects namely, delimitation and limitation which will be explained as follows:
a. Delimitation
This covers and explores all the elements that serve as a mainstream to the implementation of the ABC program, such as its nature and its conceptual and ideological framework. In which the study will focus on the said program and its possible outcomes or how it can be correlated to the development of human resources. It shall also deals on factors that significantly influence and contributes to the sudden fluctuation of the situation of the environment that the study opts to observe.

b. Limitation:
The coverage of the study will be limited only to the discussion of the nature and activities of and how will it serve as a basis for a human resource program, it shall not deal on matters which is beyond the borders of this topic. This study is in nature literarily analytical which conveys observation method and uses a qualitative case study in order to determine its results. For these reasons the phenomenon of the implementation of values education program needs to be studied as it naturally occurs without the manipulation or control of the variables. Hence, the context of this study will be limited only to the data gathered in each setting. Therefore the context of each qualitative case study will limit the generalizability of the findings.

Hypothesis:
This dissertation proposal aims to prove the following hypothesis:
1. A values education program with a socio-constructivist concept can be
used as a model for a human resource development program.

Assumption:
The Advancing Brilliance in Character Program, an integrated values education program of the Department of Education that envisions to inculcate in the children positive Filipino values for character formation, due to its ideological framework can serve as a basis for a human resource program.

Significance of the Study:
This study will provide the readers a better understanding regarding on the values education program, and learn the factors that are involved in implementing it as well as its over-all societal impact. The bulk of this research, by and large, seeks to understand and expand the current knowledge on values education and character formation by identifying the elements that contribute or serves as barriers to values education. Possible benefits of this research study are by providing the readers with substantial information regarding values education and character formation. Additionally, this study can help institutions which deliver services regarding character formation.





Definition of Keyterms:
The following are terms that are used in the preparation of the study and their corresponding meanings as defined, for the better understanding of the readers:

ABC - (Advancing Brilliance in Character) Latest DepEd thrust that envisions to enhance the values education program in Region VIII
and inculcate in the children positive values for a potential
character formation.
DepEd - (Department of Education) The primary government
institution/agency which facilitates the educational system in the primary and secondary level.

Socio-constructivist - refers to the acknowledgement of cultural and
contextual is issues in learning situations as
opposed to strictly internal construction of
knowledge, that provides development
which adheres societal changes.





Values - refers to the qualities that are regarded by a person or a
group as important and desirable.
Personality - the collection of emotional or behavioral traits that
characterize a person.
Character - the complex of mental and ethical traits that marks a
person or a group.
Pedagogy - the art or profession of teaching.
Values Education - refers to an academic program which pertains to
values and character formation.
Human Resource - a term which pertains to individuals who are in
the working force.











CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

In a research study made by Terence Lovat, he stated that teaching has undergone a revolution in the recent past which is once a profession whose systems focused primarily on the more academic selective portion of the population, specifically on the field of cultural preferences, essential literacy of languages, mathematics, history and the arts. However, the teaching profession has now a broader scope as it also tackles values education. It is now a profession whose systems have to point of relevance of education for students across a vast array of academic and socio-cultural starting points. Lovat pointed out that the teaching profession has now expanded beyond the lofty goals of its founders as it now addresses the dimensions of learning quite beyond even the lofty goals of its founders. It has now created an environment more conducive to the acceptance of values education as a natural attachment to the roles of the teacher and the school.
Moreover, teachers have now realized that values education is not only an academic exercise but rather a practical agency of moral formation. Recent and substantial insights provided by the research showed that teaching have overturned earlier conceptions about the limited capacity of teachers to make a difference in the lives of their students. The insights have showed that implementing a values education program is not only the academic responsibilities of the teachers and schools but also in their wider role in personal
and social development of every individual. (Lovat, Lawrence. “Values Education and Teacher’s Work: A Quality Teaching Perspective.” University of New Castle, Australia, May 2005)
In a certain point of his study Lovat, has put an emphasis to the relation of values education and quality teaching and how the program should be delivered to its perspective target. The latter pointed out that there are the underpinning philosophies which must be understood in order for the modern values education pursuit to be truly saturating in terms of the schooling system, religion and public preferences. Especially, in relation to the public system it is only through these linkages with the most updated educational theory and teaching philosophy. Lovat said that the implementation of values education reflects good practice of pedagogy.
Intellectual depth will ensure that values education never settles for its own surface learning which is a distinct possibility is. Students will develop in students the kind of communicative capacities, interpretative skills and powers of negotiation that are at the heart of a social conscience, and, moreover, be reflective and self-reflective growth that is the foundation of a personal morality. Similarly, the criterion of relevance will serve to ensure that Values Education is always connected with the real contexts and concerns of the students.
Furthermore, the criterion of supportiveness will underpin the credibility of the values educator as being someone who practises what they preach, and is a credible and authentic model of the care, respect and love they are proposing as the basis of personal morality and social citizenry.
In a word, it is a values-laden notion that marks out the single most important features of teacher impact, with the chestnut areas of content and method coming next in priorities. One is reminded many years on of the caution against instrumentalist approaches to education that were provided by the eminent John Dewey in the early days of public education. Dewey said that to depend overly on subject knowledge and methods was fatal to the best interests of education. He spoke, rather, of the need for a mindset on the part of teachers that was, at one and the same time, self-reflective and directed towards instilling reflectivity, inquiry and a capacity for moral judiciousness on the part of students.
Dewey would not be at all surprised with Ken Rowe’s findings, an Australian educationalist that made a study on quality teaching and values education. Dewey would also be very much at home, and possibly even feel vindicated, by the priority being given at present to Values Education in the broad and comprehensive way it is being conceived.
Furthermore, with the relationship of due care in place, the hard evidence before us is that a Values Education with an explicit curriculum can make a difference to the ways students perceive and speak about moral issues. In this way, Values Education becomes the firm basis for training in issues of personal and social morality, such as, for example, around drugs education and the addressing of mental health issues for youth, including around matters of depression and suicide. (Lovat & Schofield, 1998; 2004)
Values Education is no longer on the periphery of the central roles to be played by the teacher and the school in our society. It is at the very heart of these roles, unlike the assumptions that seem to underpin so many of our concerns around structures, curriculum and resources, Values Education is more clearly than anything could point to in contemporary education premised on the power of the teacher to make a difference. While the artefacts of structure, curriculum and resources are not denied, the focus is, appropriate to the insights of the day, on what John Hattie (2003) describes as the greatest source of variance that can make a difference.
In the case of Values Education, the belief is around the teacher’s capacity to make a difference by engaging students in the sophisticated and life-shaping learning of personal moral development. the nature, shape and intent of Values Education has potential to refocus the attention of teachers and their systems on the fundamental item of all effective teaching, namely the teacher her or himself, the quality of the teacher’s knowledge, content and pedagogy, and above all on the teacher’s capacity to form the kinds of relationships with students which convey their commitment and care and which become the basis of forming personal character and tomorrow’s citizenry. Simply put, values education if its goals will be realized is one charter which could bring monumental societal change. (Chakko, Sandy. 2002)
National reconstruction and character development are intrinsically linked with Values Education whether these be through democratic values, through the system of education and curriculum at all levels: primary, secondary and tertiary. Armed with adequate knowledge of values, we can, if we want, give and act in full accord with the immutable moral order of the universe.
The knowledge does not only consist in merely the recognition of a value as a value but involves a just estimate of the degree of worth possessed by it also, so that it may be compared with other values. Confronted with a situation where we are called upon to choose between two values, we can then promptly choose the higher and sacrifice the lower value for the sake of the higher. Character is strengthened by our voluntary sacrifice of a lower value to secure a higher one. When a man has to choose, for example, between life and money, he does not hesitate to throw away money and save his life.
Here instinct backs his choice; but the same man may be forced to choose between life and honour. It is a cruel choice and the man may not reconcile himself to the loss of either of the two extremely precious things. Choosing the higher and sacrificing the lower value is the character development. (Haque, Manzoor-ul. “Values Education Program and Operational Mechanism for Strategic Educationists of the New Millenium.” 2000)
Howard Kirschenbaum emphasized the role of values education in the society, as it has been to the American society. According to Kirschenbaum, schools took their role in values education for granted. Children were exhorted to be prompt, neat, and polite; to work hard succeed; to respect other's property - in short, to behave themselves. And that is as far as values education and moral education went. However, the recent socio-economic development has provided stirring impacts on moral issues. New attitudes toward and experimentation with human sexuality, religion, career options, lifestyles, and personal values were widespread.
Kirschenbaum had stated that as might be expected, values education and moral education began to reflect these changes in society. Instead of simply inculcating and modeling values, educators were now encouraged to help students clarify their own values, learn higher levels of moral reasoning, and learn the skills of value analysis. Educators were counseled to avoid imposing their own values and moral on their students - because, the argument went, in an increasingly pluralistic society.


A better course seemed to be to help young people learn the skills of moral reasoning and responsible decision making that would enable them to lead more personally satisfying and socially constructive lives. So, in these a concern for values and morality is back again.
This concern is spurred on by a national panic over our seeming inability to gain control over a country's drug problem; is supported by continuing dismay over crime, the disintegration of the family, teen pregnancy, teen suicide, and other indications of social upheaval and collapse; and is further fueled by a belated and reluctant recognition that the unprecedented number of political scandals throughout the past decade were symptomatic of a virtual ethical vacuum in government.
For these and other reasons, parents, educators, and community leaders are once again calling for the schools to become involved with educating young people about values and morals. in which the values clarification approach or the Comprehensive Values Education Program, might be the substantial one that should be initiated as a model values program.
The said program includes inculcating and modeling values, as well as preparing young people for independence by stressing responsible decision making and other life skills. All these approaches are necessary. Young people deserve to be exposed to the inculcation of values by adults who care: family members, teachers, and the community.
The children deserve to see models of adults with integrity and a joy for living. And the young people deserve to have opportunities that encourage them to think for themselves and to learn the skills for guiding their own lives. Comprehensive Values Education is comprehensive insofar as it takes place throughout the school - in the classroom, in extracurricular activities, in career education and counseling, in awards ceremonies, in all aspects of school life.
It takes place throughout the entire community to the extent that all these sources are consistent in their expectations, their modeling, their norms, and their rules, a comprehensive approach has a greater likelihood of succeeding in influencing community values and morals in youth and adults.
Kirschenbaum said that values clarification is containing four main ingredients, first, a value-laden topic or moral issue is selected - perhaps an issue related to politics, work, family, friends, love and sex, drugs, leisure time, or personal tastes. The issue may be selected by the teacher, the group leader, the class, or an individual student.


It should be noted that, before values clarification became popular, these matters were not generally considered worthy of attention in schools and other settings in which young people receive guidance. But, as the renowned psychologist Milton Rokeach noted in 1975, that a such a broadening of educational objectives now has a universal face validity, largely because of the pioneering work of the proponents of values clarification.
Second, the teacher or group leader introduces a question or activity - sometimes known as a values clarification "strategy" - to help the participants think, read, write, and talk about that topic. More than a hundred highly motivating values clarification techniques have been developed to facilitate reflection on and discussion of value-laden topics and moral issues. These practical strategies are probably the main reason for the popularity of the approach.
Third, during the course of the activity and discussion, the teacher or group leader ensures that all viewpoints are treated with respect and that an atmosphere of psychological safety pervades the classroom. Fourth, the activity itself and the discussion leader encourage the students to employ an array of "valuing processes" or "valuing skills" while considering the topic. These skills involve understanding one's feelings, examining alternative viewpoints, considering the consequences of various choices in a thoughtful manner, making a choice free from undue pressure, speaking up for one's views, and acting on one's beliefs.
The values clarification theory suggested that young people who used these valuing processes in making decisions would lead more personally satisfying and socially constructive lives, as well as do better in school. Initial research supported these claims, although there was disagreement over the quality of the research. Certainly, tens of thousands of teachers, parents, religious leaders, and helping professionals who used the approach - many of whom still use it - spoke positively of its effects on young people and the classroom climate. While the previous two explanations reflect larger social and professional trends, the next three reasons must be laid at the doorstep of the values clarification movement itself. For one thing, stagnation set in. The leading proponents of values clarification simply did not stick with the approach after it reached its peak of popularity. With rare exceptions, institutions did not continue to deepen the theory, sponsor and encourage the research, develop the curricula, or improve the training - efforts that together would have supported a growing field of professional accomplishment. In part decisions were based on the declining professional interests in values clarification. However, that declining interest must be explained, in part, by the lack of success in continuing to develop and enrich the field, so there was a reciprocal effect.
Relevance of Related Literature:
The different studies on values education have shown its importance for societal development. The morality of the society has been affected by the rapidly modernization of our environment, which contributes to the disturbing behaviors that leads to alarming moral issues. It was clearly presented that a values program is significant since it does not only form the character of individuals but rather also invokes quality teaching among learning institutions. The related literature has also pointed out that values education also leads to a more conducive learning process since it induce individuals to concentrate with their studies. In relation to the study, since this dissertation will tackle all aspects of the Advancing Brilliance Program, a values education program being initiated by the Department of Education, it is but suffice to say that these will give a sound background for the study. Moreover, it would provide the research with solid context on the impacts of values program in the character formation of individuals. Further, since this study seeks to determine the relevance of the ABC program to the development of the human resource, these studies will give an insight on how values education programs will give a model for a training program that is intended for the character development of those who in the human resource sector.

CHAPTER III
DATA AND METHODS

Conceptual Framework of the Study:
In providing ideological basis for the study, several concepts were use as an outline to give context to the problem that this dissertation seeks to answer. One of which is the “Cognitive Behavior Theory,” in which its underlying theory is related to the social learning theory and specifically to values education, there are many theoretical concepts which concerns in delineating a full understanding it. While it is easy to suggest the thought that controls behavior its simple construct is not easy since it requires much since it is self-reflective, that it need a varity of subjects.
The Advancing Brilliance Character is a program which applies this theory it underlies learning in relation to its social surrounding and is guided by the humanistic framework that held that values and dignity is the object of all even at the middle of an economic development. ABC which deals on the positive cultural values of the Filipino, by enhancing the teaching program through a more rigorous lesson exemplars and aims to provide positive character formation of the children and enhance their personality, uses the Cognitive Behavior Theory in the sense that it has been incorporated with the principles of the said theory.


The said program conveys to the children the importance of the cultural values to give them consciousness of those values, it is not something that can be observe directly since it is self-respective, and then only in retrospect. However, the consciousness of the children on the positive values can be predicted with considerable confidence that it indicates that conscious experience is something knowable and attainable. (Chakko, Shandy. 2002)
Aside from that, the program has it biological foundations, in which perceptual categorization of the values program is served as the first crucial learning. Based on the theoretical concepts of Hofstadter the process of getting from perceptions to conceptions involves what begins randomly as bottom-ups. As the organism is able to experience objects and relations, in the case of the ABC program the positive cultural Filipino values, a knowledge base is created upon which meaning and value can be abstracted.
As experiences and events gain meaning and value, the process becomes increasingly top down as the mind in attempt at an orderly process influences perception though beliefs, goals and external process - the more that is perceive and the more is expected what to perceive. The ABC program held that the values such as being Makabayan, Maka-Diyos, Makatao, and Makakalikasan is inherent and true in every Filipino this is a significant approach since what people believe to be true is that which is coherent to their already established cache of truisms.

This cache is developed over time and is significantly shaped by the significant people in the environment. Its development is monitored by the rigor with which each new proposition is analyzed in relationship to what already exists. But the child who has a poorly developed set of logical skills; whose information cache is personalized and moralized; and has little energy to deal with non-coherent propositions, will develop a reality which very likely depreciates his/her self concept which is likely to result in antisocial behaviors which set in motion a reality [pragmatics] which reinforces this perspective. (Chakko, Shandy. Ibid.)
For the implementation of the ABC program, communication is important since it serves as a medium in conveying the message regarding important values that are needed in character formation. The human behavior stream is contingent upon communication for social learning and the development of personal mental schema about, among other things, self, others and future prospects. Communication and information are coterminous constructs. Communication is information; and information is the means of communicating. Since communication has two distinct poles: the conveyor of information and the receiver of information; precepts become an important part of the creation of concepts. Thus the perception becomes a part of the communication process, that happens between perception and conception is also interesting. (Fu An-Lin. University of Texas at Austin. May2004)

Moreover, the ABC program incorporate in its principles cultural context which is very important in character formation since the scientific study of human social life concern itself with two different kinds of phenomena. On one hand, there are the thoughts and feelings that humans experience within their minds; on the other, there are the activities that constitute the human behavior stream. The relationship between mental and physical behavior events is significant. If beliefs are mental representations which predispose towards action, then the mental activities and context have some relationship to the physical outcomes. Further, the said program also looks upon the emotions of the children in implementing the values education program.
The process of learning values is dominated by analogy and metaphor. In learning we transform the strange into familiar as like the comparison between a heart and a pump. In innovating the learning process, the familiar is transformed into the strange, since such analogies and metaphors does not fit, the process of comparison of similarities and differences helps us to conceptualize a new perspective. In some ways, because of its multiple perspectives, provides the best concrete example of what lay people refer to as personality. The personality of an individual person is based on the attitudes and behaviors that they convey to others in various situations. Some attitudes and behaviors will only become apparent in certain situations, while others will be fairly obvious at all times.


Another theory that is implied in this study is the “Theory of Socio-Constructivist,” since the program had applied the philosophical and educational foundation of this theory as a means of pedagogy tool in implementing this values education program. In order to understand fully socioconstructivist frameworks in an educational sense, the epistemological assumptions of constructionism must be examined. Fosnot (2005) urges the transition of traditional classrooms into socioconstructivist learning environments --using socioconstructivist principles based on what is known about how students learn and the nature of knowledge,
Too often teaching strategies and procedures seem to spring from the naïve assumption that what we ourselves perceive and infer from our perceptions is there, ready-made, for the students to pick up, if only they had the will to do so. This overlooks the basic point that the way we segment the flow of our experience, and the way we related the pieces we have isolated, is and necessarily remains an essentially subjective matter. Hence, when the teacher intends to stimulate and enhance a student’s learning, the teacher cannot afford to forget that knowledge does not exist outside a person’s mind.
Further, the said study also tackles the Human Relations theory considering that values formation also pertains to the behavior that an individual may commit, in as much since values is being shown to another individual, this only means that the said study also invokes inter-action with other people or community and in which it also test how will an individual that has undergone this kind of values education will respond or react to a certain community.
Moreover, since it linked to the human resources, it but suffice to say that the said study has something to do with human relations since it seeks to determine whether the program can help improve the nature of an individual to make him/her a good citizen that indulge in the human resource sector with positive personalities.

Research Design
The study discusses a selection of major elements of values thought as related to education today. Values concepts which use socio-constructivist principles are currently championed by professionals; in whom they believe in student-centered orientation and its ability to elicit learning. Moreover, values education with its emphasis on character formation is considered to foster democratic learning where individuality and culture are supported. A specific manifestation of character formation is identified in the technique of implementing a values-oriented program. Values Education is a power social tool in a classroom situation for students to develop critical thinking and understanding as well as diverse views of values and character building by using primary source of material and other investigative activities.
The will be an experimental one as it seeks to determine the probability of the ABC program to serve as a model for a human resource program which aims to develop the moral fibre of the individuals indulging in that sector. The proponent will use a literary way of analytical thinking and quantitative analysis in order to determine the findings of the study. The proponent will apply the “onion skin approach,” in conducting the study in which there will be a multi-layered of systematic tasks of observations in order to come up with a more reasonable experimental results. The interpretative nature of this study will be grounded in the field of qualitative research as defined by Denzin and Lincoln, (2005):
Qualitative Research is a situated activity that locates the observer in the world. It consists of a set of interpretive, material practices that make the world visible. These practices transform the world. They turn the world into a series of representations, including field notes, interviews, conversations, photographs, recordings, and memos to the self.
At this level, qualitative research involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them. Most importantly, qualitative research offers the opportunity to explore the directions that the participants and their experiences may take as well as to gain deeper understanding through natural interaction.
The design of this study is meant to provide guidance in accomplishing thefollowing characteristics of quality qualitative research as outlined by Garman (1994):
• verity (intellectual authenticity)
• integrity (structural soundness)
• rigor (depth of intellect)
• utility (professional usefulness)
• vitality (meaningfulness)
• aesthetics (enrichment)
• ethics (consideration of dignity and privacy of participants)
• verisimilitude (sufficient detail to warrant transferability)
As the research progresses, attention will turn and return to these elements to maintain steady progress thus avoiding the traps of tangents, irrelevance, data mismanagement or disorganization, shallow interpretation, bias, and weak analysis. The quantitative part of the study will provide substantial analysis by means of a statistical operations or variance analysis in order to determine the margin of error of the study.




Research Methodology
It is naturally fit for the study to use descriptive and quantitative method of approach for the study by applying qualitative studies on certain environmental settings in which the observation will provide context to the study. It is necessary for a case study in order to explore the nature of the ABC program and it correlation to the development of the human resource, since this dissertation aims to provide a deeper understanding of the said program, so classroom observations will be utilized by the researcher in order to determine the behavioral fluctuations in every learning session and how will it foster character formation of every individual.
Being an experimental research, quantitative method of approach is also significant in for determining the best results for the study, since the statistical operations and the variance method of analysis can provide the study with the optimum quantitative results and its margin of error, and in doing so might do random sampling in order to gather quantitative data.

Case Study:
This dissertation employs qualitative case study research as defined by Merriam(1998), “A qualitative case study is an intensive, holistic description and analysis of a bounded phenomenon” (p. xiii); and Yin (2003) who provides more specific boundaries for case study. It is an empirical inquiry that:
1) investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident;
2) Copes with the technically distinctive situation in which there will be many more variables of interest than data points: and as one result relies on multiple sources of evidence, with data needing to converge in a triangulating fashion; and as another result, benefits from the prior development of theoretical propositions to guide data collection and analysis.
This case study is bounded by several contexts, the students/pupils, the teachers themselves and their experiences in the delivery of values education program and the response of the students/pupils to it. The study is situated within these interlocking contexts. Through qualitative research techniques, the relationships and resulting interactions between these contexts, values and character formation concepts will be uncovered. These facilitate the understanding of the Advancing Brilliance in Character Program and how can it become a model for a human resource program. These are the outermost boundaries for this study.




Research Site & Participants:
In order to gather data for the qualitative study, the researcher will personally observe the environment of a certain school which has implemented the ABC Program. The participants for this study are the teachers, administrators and students of the selected schools within the area of Region VIII that has implemented the DepEd thrust, and will serve as observation sites for the proponent and will provide data and context to the study, and being the variables will determine the result for this research. Significantly, the study will choose the Ormoc National High School in Ormoc City as one of the research sites that would provide context for this dissertation, since it is the school wherein the ABC program was launched and it is one of the forefront runners of the said program.
In accordance with the school’s policies, permissions will be requested from the school head in order to conduct observations within the school community. Interviews with the students, teachers, parents and school administrators will be conducted in order to gather data on the possible impact of the ABC program in relation to the character formation of the children, responses of the school community to the program will also be consider as a variable for the study by the proponent.



Data Collection:
Data collection will be done in selected learning institutions in Region VIII. All gathered data from participant resources will be collected with explicit permission from the participants and in full compliance with review board.
In accordance with qualitative research tradition multiple data sources will be collected. Data used in this dissertation is organized into four sets: the primary set is made up of interview data, which will comprise approximately three one-hour audio semi-structured interviews. This interview data will be triangulated by the following:
1) participant artifacts (lesson plans, classroom materials, personal reflection papers, and student/pupil participation or work), observations, and field notes (a minimum of five, one-hour field-based observations);
2) Teacher interviews
3) other resources including copies of district and state lesson design
guidelines for values education.
The use of interviews and observations are commonplace in qualitative case study research, it serves as one manner of obtaining an insider, or emic, perspective regarding the issues being studied.
The interaction between researcher and participant through the interview is, the establishment of human-to-human relation with the respondent and the desire to understand rather than to explain. Interviews with the participants will be semi-structured; this provides for consistent investigation of particular topics with the participant and basic introductory questions, but also affords flexibility to engage in natural conversation that provides deeper insight for the study.

Data Analysis:
Qualitative case study research amasses huge amounts of raw data; therefore, it is essential to maintain the data in an organized and timely fashion. More importantly, preliminary data analysis must be conducted immediately post-collection or better yet, the right way to analyze data in a qualitative study is to do it simultaneously with data collection.
More specifically, an outline for a detailed procedure of data gathering and analysis - will aid the simultaneous nature of the work.
• coding (organizing and theming data)
• policing (detecting bias and preventing tangents)
• dictating field notes (as opposed to verbatim recordings)
• connoisseurship (researcher knowledge of issues and context of the site)
• progressive focusing and funneling (winnowing data and investigative technique
as study progresses)
• interim site summaries (narrative reviews of research progress)
• memoing (formal noting and sharing of emerging issues), and,
• outlining (standardized writing formats)
While these procedures were used in a large, multi-site study, research for thisdissertation will utilize a similar format, making a few changes to accomplish a similar task for a smaller study with a single researcher. This particular data collection / analysis will substitute transcribed interviews and written field notes for the dictated field notes; and it will combine the elements of summaries, memos, and outlines into a reflective research journal kept by the researcher.
These procedures will attempt to organize the data as it is collected; such procedures mark a fine line between data collection and analysis, thus easing the task of simultaneous collection and analysis. After reviewing all the data sources, the materials will be manually coded and preliminary meaning generated from the interviews, observation field notes, and participant artifacts. The data analysis will proceed from noting patterns and themes to arriving at comparisons and contrasts to determining conceptual explanations of the case study.