Happy New Year!
2012 brings several new changes to CEP:
- New President & CEO took the helm Jan 1.
- Our new website transformation launched.
- Our new webinar series debuts Jan 19.
- 2012 Promising Practices application is now open.
- A new keynote speaker for the 19th National Forum.
- Dr. Marvin Berkowitz posted his article "You Got a Case" on the effectiveness of character education.
This month's newsletter theme is tied to principle 6 "The school offers a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that respects all learners, develops their character, and helps them succeed." We have an array of lesson plans and Promising Practices that help you differentiate instruction and meet the individual needs of your students
|
|
 |
|
 National Forum-New Keynote Speaker NamedCEP is excited to announce a new keynote speaker for the 19th National Forum on Character Education. Dr. Bertice Berry-noted sociologist, author, lecturer, educator, and past host of The Bertice Berry Show-will speak at the upcoming conference, taking place in Washington, D.C. Nov. 1-3. Dr. Berry is looking forward to engaging with the Forum's theme, Developing Leaders of Integrity, as part of her work 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. She is also the author of numerous books, including The Ties that Bind: A Memoir of Race, Memory, and Redemption, which traces the history of her family. Visit www.berticeberry.com for a more complete biography. You won't want to miss this memorable speaker. She joins the two keynote speakers previously announced: Dr. Maurice Elias and Paul Tough for an exciting line up. Save the date and watch for more announcements to come. We invite you to submit a proposal or to become an exhibitor. Contact Sarah Twardock for information and best selection of booth space: stwardock@character.org.
|
|
|
|
|
Character Education: An Important Tool for Meeting Student Needs
By Lara Maupin, M.Ed.
National Schools of Character Director
As teachers we are increasingly required to meet the varied individual needs of our students. We receive in-service training on differentiation and the impact of poverty and executive function, for example. But how do we put it all together our increasingly crowded classrooms day in and day out? How do we help all our students reach their full potential?
 Character education is here to help. When we focus on character development, we make our high expectations clear and meaningful to students while building strong, caring relationships with and among our students. When we do this, disruptions decrease and we gain time on task. As this happens, we also gain more time to meet individual needs and differentiate instruction. As an added benefit, when we know our students well and they trust us, we can better meet their needs. When they know we care, they are more motivated to work hard.
Our National Schools of Character (NSOC) tell this story over and over again. In schools of character, students feel safe, respected, and connected to those around them. As a result, they thrive academically and socially and they become motivated to give back to their communities. We see positive results in terms of academic achievement, student behavior, and school climate. Just take a look at these statistics from the 2011 NSOC:
- Average attendance rate: 95%
- Low or declining referrals: 89%
- Students participating in service learning: almost 100%
- Students that report feeling safe: 87%
- Increase in reading and math scores (or over 90% passing): 100%
- Made AYP: 78%
Read more>>
|  | |
Promising Practices By Lisa Greeves, Manager, Promising Practices The halfway point of the academic year is upon us! The month of January is a great time to take stock of how your students are faring on an individual basis, both socially and academically. Many of the 2011 Promising Practices in Character Education emphasized different practices that successfully met the individual needs of students and are easily replicable. At Imagine Charter School at Weston, located in Weston, Florida, students use a Character Development Progress Report to reflect on their own character development each quarter. Teachers also provide feedback. The practice encourages thoughtful discussion between the student and teacher. Read more >>
|
|
|
|
Training of Trainers Seminar
 | |
Left to Right: Phil Catania, Pat Luce, Gail Gilbert, Karen Morse, Cindy Sparks, Kimberly Jones, Tamra Nast, Val Gallina , Nanci Wilson, and Siva Gopal Thaiyalan
|
The first week of December was a bustling place at the CEP offices when 11 educators from eight different states and one foreign country arrived in Washington, DC for a five day deep-dive seminar into the 11 Principles through the CEP Professional Training dissemination model. CEP is moving to establish more and more regional opportunities for schools with the triple goal of providing local leadership, reducing costs to schools, and simultaneously continuing to expand CEP's mission for effective character education.
If you and your school would like to learn more about CEP's professional development options, please call Barbara Luther at 202 296 7743 or at 800 988 8081.
|
|
 |
Transform School Culture - Make it Happen!
Character Education Partnership is proud to announce the upcoming webinar series which will help school communities everywhere focus on character development for school improvement academically and socially.
Learn how CEP's framework, the 11 Principles of Effective Character Education, can help you improve academics, reduce discipline problems, and create a caring and respectful community.
Read more >>
All webinars are 3:30- 4:30 p.m. EST, starting Jan. 19.
Each webinar is $49, but save when you sign up for the series of 12 for $299 (half price)
| |
|
 |
|
New President & CEO
Dear CEP Colleagues and Friends,
In the fall, I had the pleasure of meeting many of you at the National Forum in San Francisco. Now I have the honor of taking the helm of CEP from Joe Mazzola. I want to formally thank Joe for his superb leadership over the past five plus years. He and former Chairman of the Board, David Fisher, have set us up for great success. They've established processes, procedures, policies and programs that leave CEP poised to expand throughout our nation and beyond to help many more students become citizens of good character. Read more >>
|
News BriefNew Board Members
CEP is pleased to announce two new board members: Marilyn Hinton and Susan Sclafani. Read more >>
|
|
|
|
Calendar of Events
PBS "In The Mix" Program Highlights
Week of:January 21 # 905
Conflict Resolution - Thinking It Through
We follow a group of high school students as they participate in a conflict resolution workshop led by an experienced facilitator and social worker who encourages them develop their own solutions. After each student describes a recent conflict with a friend or family, they explore ways they commonly handle conflicts...avoiding, confronting, or problem solving and communication ...finding it is often based on the situation.
*The In the Mix website www.pbs.org/mix provides extensive companion areas on over 60 programs, and more.
Encourage Civic Engagement High school juniors are invited to apply for a scholarship and a trip to Washington, DC for an all-expense-paid journalism conference, the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference, at the Newseum July 14-19, 2012. Application deadline: Feb. 15, 2012. Visit www.freespirit.com to learn more and to apply online.
Nominate a Young Hero Nominate a young person between 8 and 18 for the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. The 10 national winners will receive $2,500 each. Nominations are due April 30.
Celebrate an Outstanding Teacher Tell the story of an outstanding public school educator through StoryCorps' National Teachers Initiative. A student may interview a teacher who made a difference in his or her life, or two teachers could interview each other. The initiative was launched in September, and some of the interviews are promoted on national public radio broadcasts. All will be archived at the Library of Congress.
Looking for Financial Support? Check out the funding database on the AFT Website. You can search by grade level, state, subject.
2nd Annual NAESP National Children's Book Award Contest The contest discovers, publishes and launches two aspiring writer's careers.
The two winners will be one children's picture book and one children's chapter book. You can enter at the NAESP website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
