1. Please briefly describe your project.

*
For the 2017-2018 school year, our staff would like to implement the Watch D.O.G.S
(Dads of Great Students) program. Watch D.O.G.S. is an educational initiative of the
National Center For Fathering designed to promote male involvement in schools. The
Watch D.O.G.S. volunteer program will strengthen ties between our school and the
community and provide students access to positive male role models throughout the
day.
2. What are the goals of the project? *
There are two primary goals of the WATCH D.O.G.S. program.

1) To provide positive male role models for the students, demonstrating by their
presence that education is important.

2) To provide extra sets of eyes and ears to enhance school security and reduce
bullying.

3. Which specific student SEL needs will this project address? *

Over the past several years our staff have noticed an increase in student behavior
referrals to the office, particularly in the younger grades. We are seeing students who
are angry, depressed, lack self-confidence, or demonstrate other negative attention
seeking behaviors.

Many of our at-risk students do not have male role models at home who positively
promote social and ethical norms for behavior. They have not learned how to establish
and maintain healthy relationships and do not know how to communicate effectively,
particularly when something is bothering them. Many of our students also do not see
how their actions affect other people and do not make constructive choices.

4. If your project is selected for support, whats one success you could
achieve over the 2017-18 school year that would mean the most to
you? *
The most meaningful part of this project would be from the students excitement of
seeing more positive male role models at school and making it so fathers, grandfathers,
and uncles feel not only welcomed at school but needed. We are always looking for
ways to get families more involved and its particularly important for students to see that
men can volunteer and be a part of the school community, too. Male figures bring a
different type of energy and perspective and as most of our teaching staff is female, we
feel that this is a way for boys to feel more connected at school.

5. How many students will benefit from this project (please specify a
number, even if it is an estimate)? *
All students in our building will benefit from this project. Our school serves
approximately 180 students in grades K-5.

6. What specific SEL skills or competencies will be taught or

developed through this project? *
While this project will cover multiple SEL competencies, the biggest impact will be in the
areas of social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making skills.
The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others, including those from
diverse backgrounds and cultures will be modeled by our volunteers. Our volunteers
will also promote positive relationship skills by showing our students how to
communicate clearly, listen well, cooperate with others, resist inappropriate social
pressure, negotiate conflict constructively, and seek and offer help when needed.
With guidance from our male mentors we hope to impact our students ability to make
responsible decisions but showing them how to identify problems, analyze situations,
solve problems, and reflect and evaluate the impact of those decisions on not only
oneself but others as well.

7. Describe the major activities this project will include to achieve the
goals. *
Watch D.O.G. dads and volunteers will perform a variety of tasks during their volunteer
day including monitoring the school entrance and assisting with unloading and loading
of buses and cars first thing in the morning. Throughout the day the mentors will help in
several different classrooms throughout the day with a teachers guidance by working
with small groups of students on homework, flashcards, or spelling. Our male mentors
will also have the opportunity to interact with students in the lunchroom and playground.

8. Describe how the project will be innovative (e.g., with respect to

instructional practices, method of delivery, targeted student
population, etc.). For information on previous Innovation Award
winners, visit http://education-first.com/social-emotional-learning-
innovation-fund/ *
As a Title 1 school we have many at-risk students. Our Watch D.O.G.S. volunteers
will be able to provide both academic and emotional support for those students. The
mere presence of male adults gives students one more interested adult to talk to or
interact with. Because we are a small school in a small district we do not have a full
time social worker or counselor. Sometimes all our students need is for someone to
notice them, ask a friendly question, or someone to check in with them for them to have
a successful day.

According to a survey conducted by Watch D.O.G.S. in 2003, 89% of participating

schools agree that WATCH D.O.G.S. is a valuable component of the schools efforts to
promote a safe and positive learning environment for students. Additionally, 79% agree
that since implementing the WATCH D.O.G.S. program, the school has experienced an
increase in father involvement in areas other than WATCH D.O.G.S. (parent-teacher
conferences, volunteerism in the classroom or after school, PTA involvement).

For addtional information about the Watch D.O.G.S. program click the following link:
http://www.fathers.com/watchdogs/
9. What outcomes do you expect this project to produce and by when?
How will you measure impact? *
The outcomes we expect to see is that students demonstrate a better ability to make
positive choices throughout the day. We anticipate that students will want to work with
the male volunteers and therefore exhibit correct behavior so that they get that
opportunity. Not only will the students gain positive male role models but our school will
gain an extra set of eyes and ears. The presence of a father or father figure will provide
an additional deterrent to bullying, enhance a sense of security in the building, and will
help to create an environment conducive to learning.We will measure this by tracking
behavior referrals to the office on the days the Watch D.O.G. volunteers are in the
building and compare that to days when they are not. Some of our students are on
daily behavior plans and those can also be monitored to see if the male mentors are
having an impact, too.

Fathers themselves will benefit because they will get a glimpse of their students
everyday world and learn about the increasingly complex challenges and decisions
todays youth are facing. As a result, they can learn to relate better to their student and
hopefully connect with them and therefore positively their childs life in three critical
areas including: academic performance, self-esteem, social behavior. There are
surveys available as part of the Watch D.O.G.S. start up kit that we would have each
volunteer fill out after each day of volunteering to help us adjust the program but also to
get feedback from the mentors asking for their reasons for signing up to be a volunteer,
highlights of their day, and suggestions for making the program better.

10. How might you disseminate new ideas or practices from this
project to other educators? Or what help might you need to
disseminate? *
Clawson is a small community with two elementary schools. The hope is to start this
program at one school and then after a year of implementation, bring it to the other
elementary school. We have a district newsletter, Facebook page, and Twitter account
that we use regularly to spread positive things that are happening in our schools. In
addition, SEL and community involvement are a focus of the District School
Improvement Team and therefore an ongoing conversation of what we can do to better
serve our students. Additionally, our district participates in the Galileo Teacher
Leadership Consortium with districts from surrounding counties and teachers in that
consortium are encouraged to share unique projects and opportunities with each other.

11. Describe the project team and each members role. *

The project team will consist of the building Principal, Social Worker, Instructional
Coach, and Teacher Leaders. The entire team will host an informational pizza night to
introduce the program to any potential volunteers. The Social Worker, Instructional
Coach and Teacher Leader will work together to build the schedule and organize the
materials for the volunteers. The Teacher Leader will be the main point of contact for
volunteers when they are in the building. The Principals job is mainly for support but
also to communicate and promote the program at PTO meetings, weekly newsletters,
administrative meetings, etc.

12. What is your timeline to implement this project? *

Once funds are secured wed like to immediately start advertising the program to build
interest for the 2017-2018 school year. We plan on hosting the informational night as
soon as the school year starts with slots for volunteers to start filling in September.

13. What amount ($500 to $5,000) are you requesting for this project?
$689.00
14. Please explain how you will use the requested funds, such as for
purchasing materials, etc. *
The desired funds will cover the start-up cost for the Watch D.O.G.S. program. The
startup kit is $450.00 and includes:
Implementation Guide that also includes a Forms CD with Spanish Translations,
Promo DVD
A Kids Activity Disk
Implementation Guide in Spanish
Daily Orientation Folder containing Daily Schedules, and Dogstore Flyers
Wall of Fame Banner
Master Calendar (dated for 17-18 school year)
7 Dads Of Great Students s/s T-shirts - the official uniform for WatchDOGS
4 MY HERO IS A WATCHDOG s/s T-shirts for students, staff, etc.
1 Top Dog cotton sports shirt with embroidered WATCH D.O.G.S. logo
50 Dog Tags (official nametags)
250 Great Student Stickers 50 Great Student Pencils
50 Bookmarks for Dads and Students
Customized End-of-Day Survey Links emailed to school within 1 week of purchase
100 Line Up & Sign Up stickers
In school Promotional Poster set English (7)
In school Promotional Poster set in Spanish (5 )

In addition we will purchase 20 additional Dads Of Great Students t-shirts ($11.95

each) for volunteers to wear at a total cost of $239.00.

These materials will be used to advertise and promote the Watch D.O.G.S. program.
All volunteers will be required to wear a Dads Of Great Students t-shirt when in the
building so students know they are a safe, designated adult that they can interact with.
After this initial year, the only materials that need to be replenished are the Dads Of
Great Students shirts.

15. What was your primary motivation for seeking support for your
work? *
We have students who are in crisis for many different reasons. This is heartbreaking for
our staff. While we cant change the home environment for them we can have an
impact on their social and emotional development here at school. The Watch D.O.G.S.
program has been implemented at other schools in our area and other teachers
comment on how wonderful its been for their students and particularly their at-risk boys.
This is a group that we have struggled to properly support for years and we need to do
something differently. This program isnt a total solution but an extremely important
piece of the puzzle.