Kids Need to Earn ‘A’ in Self-Confidence : Competence: The better students judge themselves, the more they are emotionally linked to school, the better their classroom performance.

The California Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility has just released its report. The findings in “Toward a State of Esteem” confirm what we have learned in our educational reform efforts. There’s a critical link between competence and self-confidence; emotional and character development are inextricably linked with instructional development; and, most important, successful strategies exist for promoting positive attitudes toward self and school.

We’ve worked hard to upgrade the curriculum and raise the standards of California schools. We’ve also discovered that unless students are willing to work considerably harder, they will never reach the higher levels of achievement expected of them. Educators not only must train students’ minds; they must also inspire their hearts and strengthen their wills.

Much has been written and said about the academic effectiveness of Japanese education. Less is known about how that system nurtures self-esteem, character and responsibility.

In Japan, children are encouraged to form a bond with their school. Kindergarten begins with an entrance ceremony similar to our graduation ceremony. The whole family, dressed in its finest, attends. During the first three weeks of school, students learn how to recite, speak out, stand erect and be at ease. They also take turns playing leader. Symbolically and ceremonially, each Japanese youngster is welcomed into the fold.

In California, our middle schools recently posted the biggest gains in test performance ever recorded in a three-year period. When I called the schools to find out how they’d done it, a few key strategies emerged. The schools reported that they strengthened academics and invested heavily in teacher training. To bolster student self-esteem, study teams and schools within schools were formed to foster support systems and a more human dimension for youngsters. But all strategies had one element in comment: linking student and school emotionally.

The self-esteem task force makes a number of important recommendations along these lines that will further strengthen our efforts to reform California education. Among them is that self-esteem and responsibility must be woven into school programs. Every adult working at a school should feel responsible for every youngster in that school. Parents need assistance in becoming more effective partners in their child’s education. And the entire community needs to recognize and understand the diverse needs of the student population.

Students whose lives are plagued by drugs, gangs and teen pregnancy need special attention. The key to preventing their failure in school is helping them to develop a sense of purpose, feel part of a nurturing community and believe in themselves enough to be able to resist peer pressure.

We’re also finding that students deserve to know the connection between hard work and a good job or a good life. If they have clear expectations, continually experience the rewards of their work and receive timely support, they will be confident enough to tackle the difficulties of a demanding curriculum.

Accordingly, some schools have initiated buddy systems in which an older student works with a younger one. Others have set up study teams and peer counseling that help students help themselves and each other. In still others, a teacher remains with the same class for several years to capitalize on the bonds developed with the students. In all schools, programs to counteract bigotry and prejudice, which destroy self-worth, have been implemented.

If we are going to follow through on these and other recommendations, schools also must restructure the way they do business. We can’t educate our children to higher levels--recognizing the problems we face with the diversity, emotional distress, family upheaval and other real-life pressures--unless educators create high-performance teams at every school. If we expect students to develop character, initiative, responsibility and proper attitudes, we need to reflect that behavior ourselves. Only by treating each other with respect, working together, communicating and forming organizations that promote self-esteem and personal and social responsibility can we succeed.

The self-esteem task force has presented us with some tremendous challenges. Our work is cut out for us, but it is well worth the effort. We need only to look to teachers like Jaime Escalante to see how it can work. Escalante knows his subject and knows how to package it for kids. His class is part college, part summer camp and part football team. He expects his students to work hard, and they do. He expects them to work as a team, and they do. They respond to Escalante’s spirit, his competence and his belief in them and, as a result, reach levels no one ever expected them to reach. That’s not a bad prescription for every classroom in California.