An 8 Keys of Excellence Success Story


The 8 Keys of Excellence always have been an integral and important part of SuperCamp, giving students who attend our summer programs a character foundation to follow throughout their lives. The 8 Keys also are in countless schools and school districts throughout the U.S. The results, in terms of student behavior, have been nothing short of incredible.

A true 8 Keys success story is the McPherson School District in Kansas. The school district has embraced Quantum Learning and the 8 Keys of Excellence for more than 10 years.

Former McPherson district superintendent, Randy Watson was and remains a champion of the 8 Keys of Excellence. Mr. Watson saw the role the 8 Keys could play as the character component of the “C3 initiative” he was developing. This initiative, which stands for Citizenship, College, and Career Readiness, brought cohesion to the district, increased the partnerships with local businesses, amplified their RTI efforts, reshaped their approach to discipline, and gained the only broad-based waiver from NCLB (No Child Left Behind) under the then-Secretary of Education, Arnie Duncan.

Mr. Watson’s visionary approach and proven success at improving student achievement led to him being elevated to the role of Kansas state education commissioner in 2014. He had been the district’s superintendent since 1993, and prior to that, was a teacher and principal within the state for many years.

After the 8 Keys were well established in the district, dignitaries from the state of Kansas, from the Kansas Department of Education, and from the US Department of Education visited McPherson to see what was happening. When they were greeted by the principal at one of the middle schools he said,

“Imagine my first day of school. Arriving at school are new students from three feeder elementary schools as well as returning middle school students who were all immersed in the 8 Keys of Excellence, creating a culture based on a common set of principles. Now we can make it stronger. Imagine the impact this will have at the high school level.”

Through our Quantum Learning Education division, we continue to work with school districts nationwide on integrating the 8 Keys of Excellence in schools’ character development curriculum, so we can create more 8 Keys success stories. As we do so, the 8 Keys will remain at the core of all of our SuperCamp programs in the U.S. and worldwide.

Tagged