• 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

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

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.

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.

Summer Reading

“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.

The Importance of Character Development at the University Level

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 >>