presented by Richard Benjamin and Betty Siegel
This interactive session uses case studies drawn from our continuing search for “20 Schools On The Move.” This project aims to guide planning and implementation by teacher and student leaders desiring to leverage leadership of character and integrity toward the simultaneous development of character and academic goals.  Several initiatives will be presented and some will be ‘mined’ from session participants.

presented by Helen Stiff-Williams and Kalyn Mace-Guilloux
This session will focus on reducing bullying behaviors of students in the digital age. With the increase of technology, there is a new platform for bullying, which can have deadly or life-long consequences. Effective tools will be shared with participants to teach empathy and bullying prevention in middle and high school. School bullying policies will also be addressed with suggestions for improvement based on participant’s examples.

presented by Zoe Weil
What does it mean to be kind within a globalized economy, in relation to agricultural, energy, production and other systems? The most ostensibly kind teenager may be complicit in exploitation and suffering as well as environmental degradation when she eats in the cafeteria or buys a new electronic device. But how would she know? Fostering good character in a globalized world necessitates an education that extends the best qualities we seek to foster beyond the classroom walls.

presented by Stephanie Itle-Clark and Lisa Forzley
Stories have been used since ancient times to entertain, awaken the imagination, and impart moral and community virtue. In this fascinating workshop, participants learn how and why stories work their magic and how humane and animal-themed literature can inspire students to “try on” new character traits. This proactive approach to building character will allow attendees to go home with the skills and materials needed to create memorable humane-themed activities that will educate, captivate, and inspire.

presented by Xiaojun Li
Service-learning has been found to be an excellent motivator of character development and one of the most effective methods to build students’ character by providing young people with the opportunity to act on and affirm the values they learn in school. This presentation will share enlightening examples of service learning, such as social practice and some student-led initiatives, designed to promote leadership and character education in one of the best high schools in China.

presented by Ed Dunkelblau and Maurice Elias
Evaluating efforts to promote the character and social and emotional development of children and prevent problem behaviors is a practical and ethical imperative but also a pragmatic challenge. This session is an open discussion and problem-solving session to address your evaluation concerns, including the essential area of “consumer satisfaction.” It will be led by two experienced implementers and evaluators of character and social-emotional programs and school and district-wide change efforts. The emphasis will be on what works and how to do it in the spirit of continuous improvement.

presented by Michael Rosebush
“Character Coaching” involves an adult “Character Coach” meeting one-on-one with a student to intentionally practice behaviors that strengthen one’s virtue – as determined by the student’s desire to develop as a leader of character.  This method has proved to be very successful at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) in 1) increasing the student’s competence & confidence in a targeted virtue; 2) increasing the student’s ethical reasoning capability; and 3) reducing behavioral misconduct.  Several educators from diverse settings have received Character Coaching from Dr. Mike Rosebush (USAFA’s Chief of Character & Leadership Coaching), and they will share their experiences and insights into how to implement Character Coaching in schools.  Dr. Rosebush will be available to answer your questions about Character Coaching.

presented by David Wangaard
Join us for activities that highlight strategies to advance integrity in secondary schools and provide students an excellent opportunity to develop ethical/moral awareness, judgment, commitment and behavior in support of integrity.  A model secondary-school implementation program will be described with resources and activities to encourage the school culture to support academic integrity and resist the epidemic of cheating.

presented by Libby Hoffman and Betsy Neiva
Near the end of a turbulent year, the sixth-grade class at The Philadelphia School (TPS) discovered the power of truth-telling, apology, and forgiveness after a visit from Libby Hoffman, the co-founder of Fambul Tok, an organization currently reviving a centuries-old tradition of community reconciliation in war-torn Sierra Leone. Inspired by what they learned, the students conducted their own fambul tok, and the result was so profound and transformative that Libby returned to capture their story on film.  During the session, students from TPS will share their story, show the resulting film, Middle Schoolers “Walk the Tok,” and describe how students at other schools can use the same techniques to create more compassionate and cohesive classroom communities.

presented by Scott Simpson, Jim Parry, Sarah Caldwell, and Jon Marshall
Student motivation is crucial to long-term, continuous success.  Movement away from rewards and punishment and toward authentic individual focus is essential.  Participants will examine the research supporting intrinsic motivation, challenges in moving from the traditional extrinsic to the more effective intrinsic motivational process and support strategies for implementing intrinsic motivation practices.  Clips from a new professionally developed video supporting character development will be integrated into the discussion.