Water Planet Challenge Workshop: Out the Spout & Down the Drain to be presented by The Character Education Partnership and Earth Echo International, Nov. 1 from 9 a.m. to noon. To reserve a please visit www.character.org/conference/sessions/in-depth-workshops

Teachers will learn how to integrate service-learning and citizen journalism into their academic lessons and how to provide students a comprehensive understanding of local water quality issues. The workshop will empower students to become community leaders to benefit the health of our water planet.

The informative workshop will be taught by Cathy Berger Kaye, renowned author and service learning consultant, and Kyra Kristof of EarthEcho International.
Continue reading →

Dr. Maurice Elias, Professor of Psychology at Rutgers University and a member of CEP’s EAC, has asked for CEP’s help with a current research project. They are hopeful that readers who value SEL and Character Education will assist them by sending samples of report card comments and other areas of report cards which address SEL and aspects of students’ character to be considered in this project.
Continue reading →

The registration fee for the 19th Forum on Character Education will rise by $50 after Oct. 1. This year’s Forum features an inspirational keynote from Paul Tough, whose new book, “How Children Succeed” was released this month. He will discuss the contributions that good character can make to student life success. Other Forum highlights will include:

• “Out the Spout and Down the Drain,” a new service learning workshop designed to bring your science content to life.

• Our online conference community, which will allow you to remain in communication with fellow attendees for months after the conference concludes.

• A Partnership Meeting, in which leading organizations in the character education field will share ideas and discuss potential collaborative projects

Our aim is that attendees will leave the Forum with both concrete ideas for further developing character education programs within their schools, as well as new connections with those that share their passion and vision.

Here’s what previous attendees have said:

“The Forum was incredible and exceeded my expectations by far…The experiences that I had from the Forum inspired and motivated me to go back to my school and start making some changes…we are seeing the direct effects of the strategies we learned on our students and the differences that they are making.” –6^th grade teacher

“My time at the Forum was filled with moments of awe, experiences shared with new acquaintances and information presented so powerfully as to ignite a desire to take our home grown character education to a new level of excellence.” –Community liaison

Come join us as we work on strategies for “Developing Leaders of Integrity.”  You will discover the latest research and strategies for school improvement from the best scholars and practitioners in the field. Register now.

Paul Tough, author of Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America, and How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, will address teachers, administrators, and other education stakeholders about the many benefits of character education at the 2012 National Forum on Character Education hosted by Character Education Partnership (CEP).
Continue reading →

Sept. 5, 2012, Washington, DC –The Character Education Partnership (CEP) has chosen Dr. Jacques Benninga to receive the 2012 Sanford N. McDonnell Award for Lifetime Achievement in Character Education. Dr. Benninga is Professor and Director of the Bonner Center for Character Education and Citizenship at California State University, Fresno.

“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.