Character.org Certifies 63 State Schools and 5 Districts of Character Each year, Character.org certifies schools and districts at the state level that demonstrate a dedicated focus on character development which has a true positive impact on academic achievement, student behavior and school climate. Schools and districts announced today will be considered for our highest distinction-National School of Character.

Dr. Charles Haynes

FEATURED PRACTICE Annual Digital Literacy and Citizenship Night The West Milford School District hosted its First Annual Digital Literacy and Citizenship Night. The event was set up so that half the attendees would attend a dinner discussion, while the other half selected from multiple breakout sessions covering a multitude of topics. The attendees then swapped places, allowing us to serve well over 400 attendees made up of parents and children from the community. The dinner session was designed to allow parents and their children to react in a dinner like setting, to communicate about topics such as social media, cyber-bullying, and digital footprints, all guided by our director of education. The desire was to foster the experience that can then be taken home a repeated, by those families. During the dinners, our director gave a speech on digital citizenship and the impact of digital footprints. The event included presentations and resources. Families also engaged in hands-on activities that helped sediment that foundation of understanding with regard to those topics. While the dinner was running, breakout sessions for the second half of the attendees provided dialogue from faculty to the community members on our district’s existing use of Common Sense Media, Digital Citizenship, and Google Apps for Education. Question and answer sessions were made available to parents to discuss concerns about privacy, student impact, and resources. A second session allowed the two attending parties to swap places and then was followed by a third session which took place in our auditorium. …
Continue reading →

Back by Popular Demand! 5 Tips for Writing an Awesome School of Character Application Sheril Morgan, Character.org’s director of Schools of Character, co-writer of a previously designated application and trainer of evaluators, will lead this interactive session. You’ll leave the webinar with the following strategies: Navigating the application Writing the narrative Uploading the right artifacts Making data manageable Knowing what evaluators are looking for The Schools of Character process really isn’t about the designation; it’s about the process of becoming a great school. The webinar is only an hour long, but you’ll get an introduction to writing a great application. Wednesday, November 22, 2017 | 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM EST  REGISTER NOW >>

Featured Practice Positive Addictions Clay Center Community Middle School Clay Center, Kansas Positive Addictions addresses: Principle 1: The school community promotes core ethical and performance values as the foundation of good character. Principle 10:  The school engages families and community members as partners in the character-building effort. The key topics include: Family and Community Sports / Physical Education  Student Development & Growth Positive Addictions culminates with an end of year 5K race in which all students participate, but numerous character-building activities take place throughout the year that contribute to the success and excitement that builds around the community race. The goal of Positive Addictions is to interest students in lifelong healthy practices as they train throughout the year for the 5K. Students participate in community clean-up events, mentoring lunches with community members, as well as classroom activities throughout the year that introduce and reinforce healthy lifestyles and becoming supportive members of the community.  Preparing for the race takes place over several months with multiple training sessions for teachers and students. Several parents and community members volunteer time as street crossing monitors, race partners and cheerleaders along the course during training and turn out in greater numbers on Positive Addictions Day. Even the elementary schools get involved by passing out water to the runners as well as creating banners and signs to cheer runners along. After the race, the students visit stations on the school grounds that promote character and healthy …
Continue reading →