The Discovery Program is designed to conform to any scheduling matrix. Additionally, the program is adaptable enough to meet the needs of all secondary students. Students are taught the positive social skills necessary to thrive at school, at home, or at work. Students learn these skills through direct instruction, teacher modeling, student practice, and positive feedback. As students become better communicators, they gain clarity and discover a renewed sense of optimism. They begin to believe in themselves again. The core of this program is a student-centered, no-nonsense, skill-based curriculum taught in six sequential units.

Effective Group Skills and Team Building— This is the first unit of the curriculum. Students are taught the importance of effective groups and begin practicing essential group skills. The unit emphasizes cooperation, synergy, appropriate risk-taking, clear communication, and positive mental attitudes.

Anger Management— This unit is a cognitive approach to managing anger and frustration. Students are taught skills to help them reframe anger and use it as a positive force in their lives as opposed to a destructive force. The model helps students identify their own triggers and cues to anger and to explore options.

Transactional Analysis (TA)— This unit is the cornerstone of the Discovery Program. The emphasis in this unit centers on teaching and practicing the three different modes of communication in Eric Berne’s Transactional Analysis. This is a two-week unit that requires sufficient blocks of time to teach, practice, and receive feedback on the role-play scenarios. The student demonstrates knowledge of these skills by writing and performing a final role-play and passing objective quizzes and tests over content. Transfer of these skills to a student’s life outside the classroom is imperative and must be documented.

Assertiveness Training— The goal of this unit is to help students distinguish the difference between aggressive, assertive, and passive behaviors and responses. The assertiveness is blended with the adult mode in TA. Students identify their typical behavior types and role-play assertive responses. While the model only takes a relatively short time to learn, it is a skill that must be continually practiced and reinforced.

Problem Solving— This unit focuses on solving problems in a systematic way utilizing five basic steps: Stop, List, Choose, Do, Evaluate. Although this unit appears to be concise and basic, it is the "umbrella skill" of the program. This unit takes time, and students need to be aware of the overall importance of approaching problems in their lives in an effective manner.

Conflict Resolution— This unit focuses on conflict and conflict management. These skills build directly on TA, Assertiveness Training, and Problem Solving. First, students are asked to identify the difference between problems and interpersonal conflicts, and then they are taught a systematic approach to dealing with conflict in a positive manner. Again, model, role-play, feedback, and transfer outside the class are important. We want students to be assertive and have the courage and the skills necessary to resolve conflict in a positive manner.

"…I learned more in this six weeks than I have in my whole other school life. I’ll remember this more than anything else."

Sierra Solano, Discovery Student

Skills taught in the Discovery Program work for every type of student in any setting, rural or urban. By helping kids gain skills and confidence, Discovery leads troubled youth back into the school system and gives them the tools to be successful. The six models also help enhance core competencies and are easily adaptable to any scheduling matrix.

"…it works here well, so if it works here, it’s going to work tremendously well somewhere else."

Allan Byrd, Student, De La Salle High School, Kansas City, Missouri

Discovery helps to recharge a teacher’s sense of commitment.

" ...after you’ve been in teaching for a while you just want to do something, just want to make an impact on kids' lives. Discovery helped us do that. We get excited about doing the things we always wanted to do in education."

Nate Yonkers, Teacher, Beecher High School, Flint, Michigan

Parents enjoy a renewed sense of hope.

"…we’ve seen it in our house. Candice communicates more, we communicate more. She’s a lot more bubbly. She’s acting like a kid and having fun. Discovery has her thinking about the future. She feels good about herself."

Paul and Rita Ridenour, Parents of a Discovery Student