June 2012
In this Issue - “Using Data to Plan Next Steps” 
  • Interview with Michele Borba “How Are We Doing in Stopping Bullying?”
  • President’s Column “Character Camp”
  • “A School’s Work Is Never Done”--Ongoing Assessment Tips from National Schools of Character
  • National Forum—“Concerned About Academic Achievement? Character Education Can Help”
  • Promising Practices: “Integrating Assessment into Character Education”
  • Summer Reading Suggestions
  • Calendar & Recommended Blogs
Interview with Dr. Michele Borba, May 30, 2012
Given that June’s Essential Character theme is “using assessments to plan next steps,” CEP asked Michele Borba to assess how the country is doing in its efforts to combat bullying.  Dr. Borba is a CEP board member and a nationally-recognized speaker on bullying and parenting issues. She is a parenting and educational contributor on NBC’s Today show. See
www.micheleborba.com

 
CEP: How is the country doing in its efforts to combat bullying?

Borba: Yay for first steps! We’ve done a good job of raising awareness about bullying and how destructive the behavior can be for our students and our school climates. Two movies that came out this spring, Bully and Bullied to Silence, generated a lot of interest. Media has generated more awareness of the horrific affect bullying can have on a victim. And 49 states have now passed laws mandating anti-bullying. Numerous materials have been published including a new book of resources for parents and educators that I worked on due out in September tied to the movie Bully.
 

Attitudes are changing, myths about bullying as a “phase” or “rite of passage” are slowly being broken, but there’s so much more to do. We have to keep in mind that bullying is not a quick fix. It’s far much more than a one-time assembly, a few worksheets or putting posters on the wall. The latest reports [Farrington] reveal that - at best -only about one fourth of those “bully prevention” programs are effective in reducing bullying behaviors and attitudes in our schools. We have to take it step by step. It must be ongoing. Continue >>

 
Leaders of Character Camp

By Mark Hyatt
President & CEO

The Character Education Partnership is teaming up with the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) this month to launch a new mentoring and leadership training program for teenagers that we hope we will soon be able to roll out to other colleges and universities across the U.S., and eventually overseas.

The inaugural “Leaders of Character Camp” will be held June 10-15, at the USAFA campus in Colorado Springs, CO. Under the supervision of professors and staff, a trained team of 10 current USAFA college seniors will serve as mentors and character coaches for 20 local high school sophomores and juniors who have been selected from the entire socio-economic spectrum across Colorado. 
Read more >>
 

National Forum on Character Education: "Developing Leaders of Integrity"
Nov. 1 - 4, 2012 in Washington, D.C. 
Register by July 1 to save with the extra early bird registration.

In his keynote speech, NSOC Principal Scott Taylor will discuss the synergy of character education and academic achievement. Located in St. Louis, MO, Crestwood was the only school in the nation to receive both the NSOC Award and the National Blue Ribbon Award in 2011; and, Crestwood has been named to Missouri’s “Top 10” lists for high achievement for seven years in a row. 

Dr. Maurice Elias and Dr. Ed Dunkelblau, two experienced implementers and evaluators of character and social-emotional programs and school- and district-wide change efforts, will lead an open discussion on what works during their breakout session, “Evaluating SECD Programming: Is it Even Possible?” Sessions like this—together with CEP’s Foundational Training, an intensive training based on proven principles in CEP’s 11 Principles of Effective Character Education—will provide you with the knowledge you need to make a difference in your school community.

Learn more about the 2012 Forum >>

Professional Development 
“Transform School Culture—Make It Happen.” The entire series--every archived session—is available to your school or district.  Participants will be able to review these webinars as often as they choose. Contact Carol Dreibelbis,  for pricing and information.



Just announced - Free Concert
Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary fame and now Operation Respect) has just agreed to kick off the conference with a concert Thursday night.

A School’s Work Is Never Done: How the NSOC Process Helps Schools Be the Best They Can Be
By Lara Maupin, NSOC Director

 
This time of year when teachers are so busy with final assessments, grades, and packing up for summer, it is important to take a little time to reflect on the school year that has just passed and plan for next year. Our 2011 National Schools of Character (NSOC) are doing just that – as they report on their outreach efforts during the past year and offer advice to those planning to enter the NSOC process next year. At the same time, our newest NSOC – the 24 schools and 1 district selected in 2012 – are receiving their feedback reports from CEP and beginning to plan their outreach efforts for next year.


What do these schools – our national leaders in character education – have to offer the rest of us about the importance of ongoing reflection and continuous growth? Here are two key lessons learned. Read more >>

Promising Practices that Integrate Assessment into Character Education

The quiet summer months are a great time to examine your school’s assessment processes and plan new ways to integrate assessment into your character education initiatives to gauge strengths and weaknesses. The 2011 and the newly-announced 2012 Promising Practices winners boast some innovative ways of integrating assessment into both school-level and district-level character education.
Read more >>

Summer Reading

Summer suggests time to relax and catch up on your reading. Whether you’re eager to start that fun beach read or to tackle that classic you’ve heard so much about, we thought you might want to consider adding a character education book to the mix. We turned to Phil Vincent, Director of the Character Development Group, which will provide the conference book store this fall. Dr. Vincent is also a member of CEP’s Education Advisory Council.

“Without being to self-serving, I would recommend You Can’t Teach Through a Rat and Other Epiphanies for Educators written by Marvin Berkowitz and just out this week.

The book is full of wonderful and funny stories and insights regarding what we could and should be doing in our classrooms and schools to help all stakeholders build a climate of social and moral excellence.  Within the 20 chapters Marvin asks us to consider and perhaps reconsider our assumptions as we develop insights into the type of schools we can create for our students and for the staff and parents.  The book will challenge you and at the same time offer a pathway towards excellence as we seek to develop the entire child.  Read more >>

Share your summer reading with us - post on our Facebook page.

News from the States
Ohio
Scholarships for the National Forum are available for educators in northeast Ohio.  See details on how to apply.

Wisconsin
River Falls School District and the Wisconsin Character Education Partnership (WCEP) will host the “Regional Character Education Conference” on Aug 16 and Aug 17, at River Falls High School, River Falls, WI. 11 Principles Training will be held on August 16th. Learn more >>
 
The Importance of Character Development at the University Level
By Dr. Gregg Amore, Associate Dean of Students for Student Development DeSales University, and Pennsylvania State Schools of Character Coordinator

Education comes in many shapes and forms. We have early childhood education, kindergarten, elementary, middle school, high school, trade school, college, graduate school, post-doctoral programs, certificate programs and the latest is badges. The main focus is always to equip the student with knowledge and skills necessary to perform competently in in their chosen area of endeavor. In our myopic focus, on a narrow skills set, we frequently overlook the real engine that drives success – CHARACTER. Competence, without the character to control it, often results in disastrous consequences. Read more >>

Calendar Items
June 18 -19
Hillsborough County, FL educators will attend a two-day 11 Principles Leadership Institute where educators will deep dive into exemplary practices and tried and true pedagogy for the improvement of school culture resulting in improved academics and social skills. School leadership teams will attend. Led by Barbara Luther of CEP.

July 30-31
The 11 Principles of Effective Character Education Leadership Institute at the Beauvoir Center for Teaching and Learning in Washington, DC, is a two-day Regional Institute for K-12 educators  that focuses on providing school communities with the tools to foster more productive and positive school climate and culture in highly interactive learning environments. Learn more >>

ASCD Seeks Outstanding Young Educators for Recognition and $10,000 Award

Now is the time to nominate someone for the ASCD’s Outstanding Young Educator Award Program. This award recognizes creative and committed teachers and administrators under the age of 40 who demonstrate excellence in educating the whole child. Deadline for nominations is August 1.
 Learn more >>

Recommended Blogs

From CEP
Preventing Academic Dishonesty: What Parents Can Do Pt 1
Posted by Melissa Crossman

Preventing Academic Dishonesty: What Teachers Can Do Pt 2
Posted by Melissa Crossman

From Edutopia
Academics and School Life: The Importance of Character
Posted by Maurice Elias

How Do We Help Kids Make Better Choices? Let Them Practice
Posted by Matt Levinson
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Essential Character will not be published in July, but we will be back in August with fresh ideas for starting the school year.

Meanwhile, check out our website (
www.character.org) for the latest resources and updates and become one of our growing numbers of Facebook fans.
 


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