Since it was founded in 2004, the GO FOR IT! Institute (GFII) has trained over 8,000 students, educators and youth leaders in the Seven Keys to Success. In 2007, to increase the number of students skilled in achieving success, we developed a curriculum for Master’s In Education level continuing education credits for teachers. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.

Through a grant received from The Anschutz Foundation in 2008, GFII was able to provide training and materials for all the teaching and support staff at Trevista at Horace Mann, as well as all students from ECE through 8th grade. The organization also provided training and support materials for parents.

As part of this 2008 grant, GFII was required to bring in an independent firm to measure the outcome of this project. The OAN (Oprah’s Angel Network) provided a portion of the funding for this evaluation by Quality Evaluation Designs (QED). In-person meetings with their researchers revealed QED’s skepticism that the GO FOR IT! Program (which fell under the category of “Character Development”) would test well, based on QED’s 40 years of experience in evaluating educational programs.

Yet at the end of first year of the Trevista program, QED made the following statement in their final report: “QED is impressed with the Seven Keys To Success, and by the concerted effort Trevista teachers and staff have expended to implement the program. Comments from students suggest that GO FOR IT! concepts permeate their consciousness, and honestly, this is rare for any curriculum, especially one that is not specifically academic in focus. Teachers credit the Seven Keys To Success with improving school climate and their professional work environment, and this is also rare. We applaud this worthy effort.”

In addition, the anecdotal evidence of improved character and academic performance among GFI students is exciting! In the past 3 years, we have received numerous reports from GFI Teachers indicating:

1) Significant drops in behavioral referrals and detentions school-wide
2) Dramatic upward trends in attitude and motivation contributing to higher grades and standardized test scores
3) Reports of increased teamwork in the classroom and of particular students, who were previously underperforming, emerging as school leaders

One example of academic achievement through the use of GFI strategies took place in Mrs. Ketterhagen’s 5th grade class at St. Rose of Lima School. As part of their participation in the GFI Program, Mrs. “K’s” students committed to a classroom goal of everyone being on the Honor Roll by the end of that school year. At the time the goal was agreed upon, there were 5 students on the Honor Roll. When the year ended, 16 out of the class of 18 were on the Honor Roll. Mrs. K’s fifth graders learned to “act-as-if” they were Honor Roll Students and by doing so, they became more than they had ever been before.

In 2010, the reach of the GO FOR IT! Program expanded again as our curriculum started to be implemented within Boys and Girls Clubs in Colorado and Wyoming, both during the summer and school year sessions.  We continue to work diligently to develop our after-school youth club Seven Keys to Success curriculum in order to impact these future leaders in evermore effective and expanded ways.

And in 2011, the Institute published a book entitled GO FOR IT! Family Program, fulfilling on our commitment to bring the reality of the urgent need for family involvement in their children’s education into every home and community in the United States.  We are excited by the difference this will make in our families and communities across the country and… around the world!