President's Column How Real World Lessons Lead to Academic Achievement When I was a beginning teacher, I was often dismayed how students didn’t improve their writing very much despite my best instruction. When I was “forced into” sponsoring the school newspaper as a job requirement and I began teaching journalism, I was amazed by the writing growth I saw in my students. What made such a difference? As I began to assess the situation and to figure out what made the difference, a figurative light bulb went off. Students were doing real work for a real audience, and they wanted to do well. Students had a choice in the type of assignments they had. And they were truly responsible for their work. In my typical English class, if they didn’t do their work, they would get a poor grade and I would be upset. But on the newspaper staff, if they didn’t do the work, someone else would have to do it. After all, no newspaper leaves a big blank space that says “so and so didn’t finish his story.” Students who didn’t complete assignments had to deal with the wrath of their classmates. They immediately saw the impact of their failure to meet deadlines. Read More >>
Infusing Character Into Everyday Teaching & Learning Outstanding educators consistently look for ways to infuse character lessons into everyday teaching and learning. When teachers do this consistently, students are far more likely to view character as an integral part of learning and life --- rather than simply another “topic” to learn alongside reading, science, math and many others. Read more for creative examples from our Promising Practice winners >> Do you have a Promising Practice to share? We want to hear it! Get the recognition you deserve for your creative ideas and hard work. Apply for a 2016 Promising Practice today >>
Service Learning Can Enhance Your Curriculum! Learn from expert, Cathy Berger-Kaye at the 2016 Forum on Character Education, where she will be delivering an informative and inspirational keynote. Eager to present your own ideas? Now accepting Forum 2016 Speaker Proposals! Educate, inspire, and empower hundreds of educators from around the country. Convince us your session will be the highlight of the Forum. Learn More >>
Happy National Mentoring Month! Relationships Matter. Principle 6 emphasizes the importance of a rigorous curriculum, but academic achievement also goes hand in hand with establishing caring, trusting relationships. Our Schools of Character use mentoring programs and advisory periods to build meaningful connections with students. Read more in “Building Strong Relationships: What Successful Schools Do Differently.”
News Briefs The Fall 2015/Winter 2016 Excellence & Ethics newsletter is out This edition includes “Critical Thinking: How to Teach it,” “The Coddling of the American Mind,” and more! Read it now >> FREE Resource! The Giraffe Project’s excellent curricula are now online for free. Visit The Giraffe Project online The Journal of Character Education is seeking manuscripts for its next issue The journal is interested manuscripts that  describe best practices in teaching and learning related to the integration of character education into the 21st century curriculum and its applications to, or implications for, the Common Core and Every Student Succeeds Act that will replace NCLB. Contact Jacques Benninga at jackb@csufresno.edu with any questions. First ever part time distance learning M.A. in Character Education launches The University of Birmingham is launching the first ever online M.A. in Character Education.  This programme will equip students with both the latest theory and research in character education, as well as knowledge and tools for character education practice in both formal and less formal educational settings. The course will be run by The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues. Learn more >>
Calendar Jan. 28, 4:00 pm EST - 10 Surefire Ways to Engage Students, a webinar with Dara Feldman Feb. 10, 8:00 pm EST -  #SchoolsofCharacter Twitter Chat, Topic: Character & Technology Feb. 26 - Promising Practices Application Deadline Mar. 15, 6:00 pm - Call to Character Gala, Washington DC
Become A Member of Character.org Welcome the new year with an investment in yourself, your career and your students. Your Character.org membership will include a variety of resources like lesson plans, toolkits, podcasts and webinars. You will also have access to our members-only Facebook group where you can build connections with other educators. More information >>
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