“For more than 25 years, Dr. Benninga has been a major force in promoting quality character education in California and beyond,” said Mark Hyatt, CEP President & CEO. “His 1991 book, Moral, Character & Civic Education in Elementary School, helped launch today’s character education movement.” He has also written approximately 40 journal articles on character education and sustainability.

This annual award is named in honor of Sanford N. McDonnell, Chairman Emeritus of the McDonnell Douglas Corporation and CEP. It is CEP’s highest honor. The recipient of the “Sandy Award” is an individual who, over a significant period of time, has been an outstanding role model of good character and has also met one or more of the following criteria:

1. Strong and widely influential advocacy of quality character education.
2. Outstanding contributions that have broad impact on any or all of the domains in which character development takes place (school, family, community and sports)
3. Being a friend and supporter of character education by mentoring character education leaders or supporting the field philanthropically.

Dr. Benninga will receive the award on Nov. 2 in Washington, DC, during the 2012 National Forum on Character Education, before an audience of more than 800 educators from across the country.

“To my knowledge, no one else has done research illuminating the factors that enable schools to sustain quality character education once they achieve it,” said Dr. Marvin Berkowitz, endowed professor of character education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a former “Sandy Award” winner.

Dr. Benninga joined Dr. Berkowitz in pioneering research on the relationship between character education and academic achievement. Their review of the literature on this question and the results of their own study showed a positive relationship between academic achievement and the implementation of certain principles from CEP’s 11 Principles of Effective Character Education. Their study in 120 California elementary schools showed that deeper character education correlates with higher state test scores for at least three years. This study continues to offer answers to people who ask, “Does character have an academic payoff?”

At the Bonner Center for Character Education and Citizenship, Dr. Benninga and his colleagues have done groundbreaking work to create professional development opportunities and materials that enable teachers to reflect together on the practical ethical dilemmas they face in their work with students.

“All of us at CEP applaud the committee’s selection for this year’s lifetime achievement award, named in honor of our founding chairman and inspirational leader, Sandy McDonnell,” Hyatt said. “In addition to being an author, widely-respected scholar, teacher and researcher, and genuine thought leader in our field, Jacques is a humble and quiet professional who has done remarkable work for many years without fanfare or attention. His support for countless school leaders throughout California and the rest of the nation has helped them to create school cultures that foster and reinforce honesty, respect, diligence, responsibility, service and citizenship.”

About CEP and the Award: Based in the Washington, DC, CEP is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian coalition of U.S. organizations and individuals dedicated to helping schools develop people of good character for a just and compassionate society. This annual award is named in honor of Sanford N. McDonnell, Chairman Emeritus of the McDonnell Douglas Corporation and CEP. It is CEP’s highest honor. For more information, visit www.character.org.

Press contact:
Rebecca Sipos, Director of Communications
202-296-7743, ext 20
rsipos@character.org