Applying the LCPs to high school education

Theory Into Practice, Spring, 2003 by Elizabeth Weinberger, Barbara L. McCombs

When students are given responsibility and ownership in a context of caring and quality relationships, they become part of the solution by co-creating positive strategies and new learning communities. Giving students voice and ownership creates personal and social responsibility, contributing to positive motivational, academic, and social-cultural outcomes. Research increasingly supports strategies that are based on student views and perceptions, along with positive caring relationships rather than coercive and punitive approaches (Astor, Meyer, & Behre, 1999; Calvert, 2002; Fielding, 2001; Larson, 2000; Mitra, 2002; Rosenberg, McKeon, & Dinero, 1999; Wentzel, 1998; Wentzel & Wigfield, 1998). For example, Mitra (2002) shows that the Student Forum experience is a promising strategy for balancing student- and teacher-focused activities. Glasser's (1990, 1994) Quality School model is based on the assumption that children must make the choices and take responsibility for their own learning and performance evaluations. Further, DuFour (1999) describes guidelines for school leaders that emphasize less control and more shared decision making among all stakeholders, including students.

Kenney and Watson (1999) report that, when given the chance, students contribute positively to creating new cultures of fairness and caring. Therefore, in order to address motivation, learning, achievement, and positive functioning, it is critical that there be an equal focus on the learner and learning. This implies that there must be increased attention to the personal domain--that domain of educational systems design that is concerned with supporting the personal, motivational/learning, and interpersonal needs of all learners. Strategies addressing the personal domain can be successfully integrated with those in the more commonly addressed technical and organizational components of school design that emphasize content, standards, the organization of curricula and time, and decision making.

The Role of Learner-Centered Principles and Practices

Learner-centered practices are derived from the knowledge base and ongoing research on both learners and learning. When the focus is on only the research on learning without also considering what is known about individual learners, the system can get out of balance. Attending to the needs of the learner allows for effective strategies that address high academic achievement and learning in combination with strategies for offsetting student problems of alienation, lack of engagement, fear of failure, or being stressed and overwhelmed. Two areas in particular address learner needs in today's school cultures: sharing power and control with learners, and building positive personal relations and meaningful connections.

The Learner-Centered Model (McCombs, 1995, 1997, 1998; McCombs & Whisler, 1997) shown in Figure 1 provides a research-validated, principle-based framework for sharing power and control with students, and for building the positive relationships and connections essential to high motivation and achievement. Unlike many programs, however, the Learner-Centered Model provides an overall framework for aligning existing programs and practices in ways that are comprehensive, systemic, and consistent with current research and the Learner-Centered Psychological Principles (LCPs) (APA Work Group of the Board of Educational Affairs, 1997). It is a meta-model for implementing and evaluating programs and practices at all levels of the educational system--from classroom to school levels and from personal beliefs to practices to expected outcomes.