Paul Tough has written and spoken extensively about education, child development, poverty and politics as author of Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America and his upcoming How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, (Sept. 2012); editor at the New York Times Magazine and Harper’s Magazine; founding editor of Open Letters, an online magazine; and a reporter and producer for the public-radio program “This American Life.”
Keynote: Nov. 2 at 3:45p.m.

Paul Tough’s article about teaching character in schools, “What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?”, stimulated discussions across the country. See students’ perspectives on character education in this response article in The New York Times.

Maurice J. Elias, Ph.D., has engaged with issues related to civic engagement and service learning, social and emotional learning, and healthy school climates as academic Director of the Rutgers Civic Engagement and Service Education Partnerships Program; Coordinator of the Rutgers Center for Applied Psychology’s Improving School Climate for Academic and Life Success; and author and co-author of multiple articles and books including Building Learning Communities with Character.
Keynote: Nov. 2 at 8:30a.m.

Watch Maurice Elias with host Christopher De Michele of Enrichment Resource Group (ERG) discussing the history and trends of social and emotional learning and character development.

“I’m so glad Maurice will be presenting this year. I asked him to keynote one of my
Community of Caring conferences a few years ago and he got a standing ovation.
He is really terrific and inspirational!” – Kristie Fink, Secondary English
Language Arts/Literacy Specialist in the Granite School District in Salt Lake
City, Utah

Bertice Berry, Ph.D.—noted sociologist, author, lecturer, educator, and past host of The Bertice Berry Show—works to bring about positive change in American communities. She has been featured on television programs such as The  Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and ABC’s 20/20; and is the author of numerous books, including The Ties that Bind: A Memoir of Race, Memory, and Redemption, which traces the history of her family.
Keynote: Nov. 3 at 4:30p.m.

Read Dr. Berry’s wellness blog here: http://bertice-berry.blogspot.com/

Scott Taylor is the principal of Crestwood Elementary School in St. Louis County, Missouri. Crestwood is a wonderful example of how character education boosts student achievement. In 2011, Crestwood was the only school in the nation to receive both the National School of Character Award and the National Blue Ribbon Award, and Crestwood has been named to Missouri’s “Top 10” lists for high achievement for seven years in a row. Taylor has presented workshops at the local, state and national level and his educational articles have been published locally and nationally as well. He is a past recipient of the “St. Louis Distinguished Principal of the Year Award” and was also a “Teacher of the Year” for the Fort Zumwalt School District.
Keynote: Nov. 3 at 11:45a.m.