December 2008
2008 NSOC Babylon Memorial Grade School Receives State Commendation
State Senator Owen H. Johnson, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, presented a commendation to Babylon Memorial Grade School.
November 2008
Changing the Culture of Education with Character
This article by Jim Nicholson in the St. Louis Commerce Magazine illustrates the successes of CHARACTERplus, the Missouri state sponsor.
Emerging Topics in Character Education
Merle J. Schwartz, CEP’s Director of Education and Research, provides a short overview of some new and heated topics that have come to light in the field of character education.
Ready, Set, GO KANSAS!
The CEP-Kansas Department of Education partnership kicked off with the beginning of a training-of-trainers intense study with CEP’s Merle Schwartz and Barbara Luther.
October 2008
Without Character, Freedom Fails: Inside the First Amendment
Charles C. Haynes, First Amendment Center Senior Scholar and CEP Board member, writes about the importance of the message Alma Powell delivered in her speech at CEP’s National Forum on October 19.
No Dropouts Left Behind: New Rules on Graduation Rates
This article by Kathleen Kingsbury appeared in the October 30th edition of Time. It discusses the new rules issued by Education Secretary Margaret Spellings that encourage schools to improve their graduation rates by enforcing consequences for those that do not improve.
September 2008
The Importance of Families and Community
This article by Barbara Rhea, the principal of Fairbrook Elementary School, showcases some of the many ways parents, families, and community members have become involved in the school community and its character education efforts.
CEP Board Member Publishes New Book
Governor Frank Keating, who was a keynote speaker at CEP’s 2007 Nat’l Forum on Character Education, has recently published his latest children’s book, The Trial of Standing Bear.
Character Education on the Global Stage
Merle Schwartz, CEP’s Director of Education and Research, spoke at a conference in Estonia on September 26. Celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, the conference, titled “Holding Common Values,” was designed to introduce to the public a values program designed by the Centre for Ethics and the Ministry of Education.
August 2008
Competing with Character
Bob Gehringer, the superindent of Boys Town Schools (2007 NSOC), discusses the importance of relating skills and attitudes of good sportsmanship to student athletes.
Plants the Seeds of Character Education
Raymond Dinovi, Jr., the principal of Radix Elementary School (2007 NSOC), offers some advice for starting down the path of character education from the analogy of cultivating a garden.
The Ripple Effect and Staff Buy-In
Merle Schwartz, CEP’s Director of Education and Research, explores how to get all staff on board with character education efforts and how to expand beyond the character education steering committee to get everyone involved.
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
Sustainable Schoolyard Exhibit Opens at the Botanic Garden in Washington, DC
The exhibit is part of U.S. Botanic Garden’s exhibition on sustainability. It is a vibrant demonstration of an educational concept that has been spreading rapidly throughout the U.S. that offers both character education and general education benefits. The exhibit is open May 24–October 13. View a map of the exhibit layout.
2008 National Schools of Character Announced
April 2008
Announcing a new position paper: Performance Values – Why They Matter and What Schools Can Do to Foster Their Development
February 2008
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
Boosting Social and Emotional Competence
This article by Kathy Beland appeared in ASCD’s Educational Leadership magazine. It discusses the importance of building relationship skills into high school curriculums to better prepare our graduates.
March 2007
Relating to Romeo: Connecting Students and Curricula
This article by Kathy Beland appeared in NASSP‘s Principal Leadership publication. It provides a great case study of the role social-emotional learning can be incorporated into curricular content to increase student engagement.
