ABSTRACT
Schools and education are the equalizers for individuals to rise above personal circumstances and achieve their goals and dreams. Dr. Todd Whitaker states that his philosophy of life and of education is Raise the Praise and Minimize the Criticize. An example he provides was the use of praise to line up a group of students. The last criteria of praise was that teacher should privately praise a person or his actions. He states that praise should be immediate and specific and clean. The teachers are intented to research the 'best practices' to help develop a positive recognition program and to note the findings from the research. Find more actions to praise and less to criticize. The teachers are asked to make note of any changes in their classroom atmosphere and their interactions with students. Great teachers understand the power of praise and look for opportunities to praise their students.
