Washington, DC - With great sadness, the Character Education Partnership (CEP) announces the death of its chairman emeritus, Sanford (Sandy) N. McDonnell.

As the nation’s leading advocate for improving the culture and social climate in schools, Mr. McDonnell dedicated over 25 years of his life to creating safe and caring environments that foster and reinforce integrity, respect, responsibility, hard work and academic excellence. He founded and served as board chairman of CHARACTERplus, a regional network that includes character development in over 600 schools, across more than 100 districts throughout Missouri.

As a visionary and strategic leader, however, Mr. McDonnell looked beyond making a positive difference in just St. Louis and the state of Missouri. In the late 1980s, he joined a small group of other citizen leaders to discuss what could be done on a national level to develop good character in our nation’s youth, and to improve all schools in America. From that analysis, he was a founding leader of CEP, a national, Washington, DC-based nonprofit that advocates for and focuses on intentional and comprehensive character development in all schools.

“No other single American citizen has had a bigger impact in the field of character education than Mr. Sandy McDonnell,” said CEP’s President & CEO, Mark Hyatt.  “He changed and improved the lives of thousands and thousands of people, young and old, through his selfless service and leadership.”

Mr. McDonnell served as Chairman of the CEP Board for 12 years and Chairman Emeritus until his death on March 19^th, at the age of 89.  Under his leadership, the organization established a strategic framework to guide and support school and community leaders, The 11 Principles of Effective Character Education.” For 18 years, Sandy was also the key figure behind the National Forum on Character Education, an event that now draws together educators from 45 states and 12-15 foreign countries each year.

Beyond this, Sandy McDonnell felt it was important to identify and recognize leadership and excellence in character education.  He also understood it was important to share effective strategies and best practices to help other schools. As such, he secured assistance from The John Templeton Foundation, Lockheed-Martin and other donors to support the National Schools of Character Program, which now includes more than 30 state-level affiliates that recognize schools at the state level.

Mr. McDonnell was also instrumental behind a significant change in the way character is defined today in America’s schools. Drawing on the work of scholars and researchers, he helped expanded the traditional view of moral character to include what is now widely known as “performance character.”  It includes other important and supportive dimensions of human development—qualities such as diligence, perseverance, positive attitude and the pursuit of excellence in school and all areas of life. Most recently, Mr. McDonnell was the driving force behind a White Paper that makes the case for character and leadership development during the college years.

Dr. Charles Haynes, CEP’s current Board Chairman, said, “Sandy McDonnell was the greatest exemplar of good character that I ever met.  He was a role model, a mentor, a leader, and a warm and compassionate human being that brought out the very best in everyone around him. We are a better nation and world because of Sandy McDonnell. All of us at the Character Education Partnership are committed to continuing our noble work to honor the legacy of this great man.”

Chairman Emeritus of the Character Education Partnership (CEP), a nonprofit based in Washington, DC, that leads the nation in helping schools across the country develop young people of good character for a just and compassionate society.

Details of Sandy McDonnell’s funeral service will be posted on the CEP website, www.character.org, for those wishing to pay their respects to his wife, Priscilla, and other surviving family members.

February 29, 2012 – Washington, D.C. – The Character Education Partnership (CEP) has named 22 public schools, three private schools, one charter school, and two school districts as National Finalists in the 2012 National Schools of Character (NSOC) program.

“These schools are using character education to shape cultures that encourage high student achievement, mutual respect, and integrity among students, staff, and faculty,” said CEP President Mark Hyatt.  “The results show that character education really works to transform schools into learning communities for all stakeholders.”

Schools that apply for NSOC recognition benefit from self-assessment as well as the expert feedback they receive at no cost. Once they reach a standard of excellence, a process that may take several years, they are recognized as Schools of Character and asked to help other schools transform their school cultures. Describing the program as a path to school improvement through high-quality character education, CEP has offered  the NSOC program to K-12 schools and districts in the U.S. since 1998.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to share the stories of 28 more school communities doing the right thing for kids,” said Lara Maupin, NSOC Director. “These are schools where parents get choked up telling visitors what the school means to them.”

The 28 National Finalists were selected from an applicant pool of 126 schools and districts across the United States based on the quality of their written applications. In March and April they will undergo an intensive screening process that will include site visits and analysis of the impact of their character-related efforts on academics, student behavior, and school culture.

The Finalists include 17 elementary schools, four middle schools, two alternative high schools, three mixed-grade schools, one K-12 public school district, and one national charter school district. They represent 15 states and Puerto Rico, with Missouri having the highest number at six. Over half of the Finalists have student populations where one-quarter or more qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The 2012 National Schools of Character will be announced in early May. CEP will honor these schools and districts at the 19th National Forum on Character Education, to be held November 1-3, 2012 in Washington, DC. Visit www.character.org to learn more about the NSOC program and the 2012 National Finalists.

“People come to CEP’s site looking for free resources, lesson plans, information about character education and its best practices,” said Katie Hood, web content coordinator. “Our site’s new design helps educators, students, parents and the community find what they want more easily.”
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All educators begin their careers with a passion to positively impact young people. This idealistic belief can become as much of a reality in the Bay area as it has for 44 National Schools of Character (NSOC), all of whom will share strategies and best practices that have helped them positively transform their schools.
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Around 18 million American students will be bullied this school year, making it the most common form of violence young people in the US experience, according to the United States Department of Education.  This week’s Second Annual Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Summit, held in Washington, DC, convened experts to address this problem.

Character Education Partnership (CEP)’s President & CEO, Joe Mazzola, was one of approximately 200 researchers, authors, experts, education leaders and heads of non-profit organizations invited to participate.

Mazzola said, “After having attended the Summit, I am convinced more than ever that quality character education can help solve this serious problem that ruins the lives of far too many young people in our nation. From years of studying and evaluating schools across the country, we know that bullying is not a significant problem at a school of character.”

Students who participated on a special panel at the Summit reinforced that very point.  For example, one young lady said that if schools created an environment where it was considered “cool to be respectful of one another,” that bullying would become the exception, rather than the rule.  Another student said that student bystanders would be more apt to intervene.

To their credit, 47 states have now adopted anti-bullying legislation.  The federal response to bullying has never before been better focused or coordinated.

Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education, said last year in a letter to education professionals, “Bullying can be extremely damaging to students, can disrupt an environment conducive to learning, and should not be tolerated in our schools.”

CEP is targeting bullying prevention at its 18th National Forum on Character Education in San Francisco, Oct. 19-22. A special panel will highlight the event. It will feature educational psychologist, author, and Today show regular Dr. Michele Borba, National School Boards Association Executive Director Dr. Anne Bryant, and digital citizenship expert, Dr. Jason Ohler.

Borba will offer school six strategies to implement right now that don’t cost a cent.  Dr. Bryant will report on the “Listening Tour” that local school boards are conducting to learn about the bullying problem directly from students. And Dr. Ohler will discuss the challenges of developing good character and good citizenship in the “anonymous” world of the Internet.

Also at the Forum will be CEP’s exemplar schools: 43 schools and one school district recognized as 2011 National Schools of Character. Educators from these schools will present successful programs and strategies to prevent bullying, close achievement gaps, and create productive learning environments.

To attend the Forum, get anti-bullying resources, or learn more about character education, please visit http://www.character.org.