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President's Column
Examining Poverty & Cultivating Empathy: Three Books that will expand your perspective
By Becky Sipos, President & CEO
I’ve been preparing for Thanksgiving, anticipating a visit to see my grandchildren in South Dakota and looking forward to all the family socializing in the kitchen as we prepare our traditional feast. This banquet will be quite a contrast to the three books I’ve been reading.The first is Katherine Boo’s Behind the Beautiful Forevers, my book club’s nonfiction selection this month. I thought the horrific stories of life in the slums of Mumbai, India, would be too awful to read, but Boo’s empathetic portrayal really drew me into their lives. Read more >>
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2015 Forum on Character Education Highlights
The 2015 National Forum was truly one of the best yet. We want to thank all of those who attended and helped make it great. If you couldn’t make it, we hope you’ll join us next year at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC October 13-16, 2016.
See Forum Highlights >>
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Giving Tuesday—Donate a Story
Do you love your school? Tell the world why!
Thanksgiving is near and Black Friday promotions have begun flooding our inboxes, but we want to talk about Giving Tuesday, a day dedicated to giving back and helping those in need. All donations made on Giving Tuesday will go to our Schools of Character program so that we can expand the resources and feedback we are able to offer to help schools improve.
Help us spread the word about the Schools of Character program by donating a story! On Dec. 1st, Giving Tuesday, we'll be launching a social media campaign and we'd love for you to participate. See the details below:
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Where: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
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When: December 1st - December 31st
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Why: To show the world what schools can look like when we emphasize good character!
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Want to make a bigger impact? Help us achieve our Giving Tuesday goal by making a donation to the Schools of Character program in honor of a school that you love!
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An Attitude of Gratitude: Four Ways to Make Veteran's Day Meaningful
by Dave Keller
Thankfulness is a word often synonymous with the month of November. I was in an elementary classroom a few days ago and saw bulletin boards already filled with construction-paper turkeys, harvest foods, pilgrims, and other iconic Thanksgiving Day images. It brought back fond memories of my own childhood Thanksgiving classroom rituals.
But November also provides another important opportunity to offer thankfulness: Veterans Day.
Read more >>
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Twitter Chat
Don't miss our next #SchoolsofCharacter
chat on Twitter! Follow @Characterdotorg and join us on Nov. 11 at 8 pm
EST to discuss goal setting and motivation in the classroom. |
Calendar Items
Nov. 11 -- Evaluator’s scoring webinar
Nov. 12 -- Webinar on Digital Citizenship-Ethics during times of extreme change
Dec. 1 -- Schools of Character Application Deadline.
Application Fee is not required until submission. If you need to pay via purchase order, please email Sheril Morgan, sheril@character.org. Remember, organizational members apply for free. Use your member number in the payment portal.
Dec. 3 -- Webinar on Digital citizenship - You're in Charge, 7 p.m. Registration open soon.
Dec. 5 -- Workshop in Washington, DC: Improve your School’s ABCs (Academics, Behavior and Climate), 9:30 a.m.-12:30p.m. Register >>
Jan. 29 -- State Schools of Character Announced
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What about ESEA?
With both Boehner and Duncan out of the picture,
many have given up all hope for ESEA Reauthorization. Jason Amos, VP of Communications of the Alliance for Excellent Education has voiced his skepticism, as have many others. However, Jonathan Schorr, Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications and Outreach of the U.S. Department of Education, paints a slightly different picture. Although he assigned less than 50% odds he did comment: “There’s still a chance,” he said, “It’s do-able. I definitely wouldn’t count it out as a possibility.” We’ll have to wait and see. Stay tuned for updates! |
Introducing our Champions of Character
We’d like you to meet a newly assembled team of loyal Character.org supporters, our Champions of Character. Champions of Character are membership ambassadors for Character.org. They help us stay in tune with the needs and interests of our members as well as being character education experts in their own right. These individuals understand the transformative power of the 11 Principles of Character Education and have been strong advocates for character education in their schools, districts and states.
Learn more about them >> |
Character.org in the News
Character Education: Alive and Well in American Schools
From Ed Circuit
By Donna Krache - November 4, 2015
Becky Sipos, Character.org President & CEO wants you to know that character education is thriving in schools around the U.S. -- and beyond. Educator Jessica Lahey says, "Character education is not old-fashioned, and it's not about bringing religion in to the classroom. Character education teaches children how to make wise decisions and act on them." Read more >>
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News briefs
Maurice Elias Named 2015 Dr. Ernest L. Boyer Outstanding Educator
The award, known as The Dr. Ernest L. Boyer Outstanding Educator Award, is presented by NJASCD to an educator who has made a major contribution to the field of education and who has exemplified the vision, leadership qualities, and commitment to the improvement of education that characterized the career of Dr. Boyer. See video >> |
Become a Member of Character.org
Membership provides you with discounts or access to trainings, lesson plans, webinars, podcasts and other tools.
Individual Membership—$75 | Student Membership—$40
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