ssnces.ncdpi.wikispaces/Character+Education charactermattersnc

1. http://ssnces.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Character+Education http://www.charactermattersnc.com

2. Guiding Questions… • Why does character education matter? • What makes for effective character education? • What resources have you used to support character education in your school and/or district?

3. Why Character Matters “Great learning and superior abilities will be of little value...unless virtue, truth and integrity are added to them.” Abigail Adams "Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education"Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Effective character education is not adding a program or set of programs to a school. Rather it is a transformation of the culture and life of the school.” Dr. Marvin Berkowitz (Center for Character & Citizenship)

4. World in Crisis … Lance Armstrong & Doping Chargers Jerry Sandusky & Penn State scandal Sandy Hook & other victims of gun violence Corrupt Politicians Wall Street greed Reality TV Bullying Drug & alcohol abuse Girls Gone Wild Bieber Gone Bad War

5. Student Preparation • College • Career • Civic Life

6. Character Education is the Plate! Common Core Accountability Evaluations Parent & Community Involvement Essential Standards Discipline Legislation Student Performance

7. What is Character Education? Character education is the deliberate effort to help people understand, care about, and act upon core ethical values. • Intentional and comprehensive • Integrated throughout every aspect of the school day • Provides long-term solutions to address moral, ethical, and academic issues i.e. absenteeism, teen pregnancy, gang violence, drug abuse, poor academic performance

8. How can we begin to restore a culture of character, leadership, & service in schools? • Use a framework for changing school culture • Legislation • The 3 c’s: Community, Climate, & Curriculum • Character Education Partnership’s 11 Principles • Provide students the opportunity to lead and serve • Guilford County Schools • Lincoln Charter Schools • NCDPI

9. STUDENT CITIZEN ACT (2001) • In the fall of 2001, the North Carolina State Legislature passed the Student Citizen Act of 2001 (SL 2001-363). • This Act requires every local board of education to develop and implement character education instruction with input from the local community. • With the passage of this Act, the state of North Carolina has affirmed that the development of character in our children is the cornerstone of education.

10. STUDENT CITIZEN ACT OF 2001 Character Traits: • Courage • Good judgment • Integrity • Kindness • Perseverance • Respect • Responsibility • Self-discipline

11. STUDENT CITIZEN ACT OF 2001 Other elements: 1. Respect for school personnel—holding teachers, administrators, and all school personnel in high esteem and demonstrating in words and deeds that all school personnel deserve to be treated with courtesy and proper deference. 2. Responsibility for school safety—helping to create a harmonious school atmosphere that is free from threats, weapons, and violent or disruptive behavior; cultivating an orderly learning environment in which students and school personnel feel safe and secure; and encouraging the resolution of conflicts and disagreements through peaceful means including peer mediation.

12. Character Education Partnership: www.character.org What the Research Says Works…

13. What Works in Character Education? Commitment Commitment Commitment

14. The Model • Communityrefers to the process of building consensus and sustaining community involvement in the shared responsibility of developing character and active citizenship in young people. • Climateincorporates multiple factors that affect the school environment, such as personal relationships, leadership, discipline, sense of community, safety, civic involvement and democratic leadership. • Curriculum includes strategies and resource materials for integrating elements of character into the entire school curriculum and for strengthening the civics curriculum. Service learning is suggested as a highly successful strategy for both character and citizenship development.

15. The KEY to a successful school Character Education program is to follow the“The 11 Principles of Effective Character Education” • Each principle outlines criteria that should be considered when developing an effective program. • “The 11 Principles of Effective Character Education”offer the primary guidance for successful implementation and outcomes.

16. What is effective character education? Principle 1: Promotes core ethical values. Principle 2: Defines “character” comprehensively to include thinking, feeling, and behavior. Principle 3: Uses a comprehensive, intentional, and proactive approach.

17. What does a school with quality character education look like? Principle 4: Creates a caring school community. Principle 5: Provides opportunities for moral action (service learning). Principle 6: Includes a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that meets the needs of all learners (performance character). Principle 7: Fosters students’ self-motivation.

18. Who should be involved in character education? Principle 8: Engages the school staff as a learning and moral community. Principle 9: Fosters shared moral leadership and long-range support. Principle 10: Engages families and community members as partners.

19. How are we doing? Where do we go from here? Assessment should guide the process! Principle 11: Evaluates the character education initiative.

20. How Do You Know If Your Character Education Program Is Working? Observable Behaviors: • Do students demonstrate that they know right from wrong? • Do students’ actions show a respect for others? • Do students work well cooperatively? • Do students influence others in a positive way • Is the school becoming a more caring community? • Is the entire school staff working on being a positive role model and friend to students?

21. How Do You Know If Your Character Education Program Is Working? Collect Definitive Information: • Attendance data • Suspension data • Data on specific behaviors • i.e., fighting, bullying, cutting class, etc. • Communication logs • i.e., parent/community involvement, school/community collaboration, school program agendas and bulletins, etc.

22. State/National District of Character 2013 Brenda ElliottExecutive Director of Student ServicesProject Manager for Character Development Initiativeelliotb@gcsnc.com Yvonne FosterCoordinator of Character Development & Service-Learningfostery2@gcsnc.com

23. School To Watch Lincoln Charter School Denver Melissa Lasarsky Development Director melissa.lasarsky@lincolncharter.org

24. A Partnership with

25. The Character Matters Campaign • Public Service Announcements • Website: www.charactermattersnc.com • Educator Toolkit • Youth Advisory Council

26. NCDPI Student Leadership Institute I Am…Character, Leadership and Service Title V Abstinence Education and Social Studies Partnership

27. Title V: Abstinence Education • Students in grades 4, 5 and 6 • NC AEGP project focus • Mental and Behavioral Health • Health Services • Health Education • Parental and Community Involvement

28. Social Studies Education • Students in grades K-12 • NC Essential Standards • Citizenship Education (Curriculum Development) • Service Learning (Instructional Practice)

29. Service Learning Service-Learning is a pedagogy that connects meaningful community service experiences with academic learning, personal growth, and civic responsibility. Service-learning goes beyond extracurricular community service because it involves participants in reading, reflection and analysis; provides students an opportunity to develop a personal connection to what they are learning; and creates a context for the application of concepts introduced in the classroom. Benefits: • It enhances the educational goals of the curriculum through experiential learning and critical reflection. • It helps students develop the skills and virtues required for full participation and leadership in their democratic communities. • It serves the public good by providing a needed service to individuals, organization, schools, or other entities in the community.

30. Service Learning & 40 Developmental Assets External • Community Values Youth • Youth as Resources • Service to Others • Positive Peer Influence • High Expectations • Creative Activities • Youth Programs Source: http://www.search-institute.org

31. Service Learning & 40 Developmental Assets • Planning and Decision Making • Interpersonal Competence • Cultural Competence • Resistance Skills • Peaceful Conflict Resolution • Personal Power • Self-Esteem • Sense of Purpose • Positive View of Personal Future • Internal • Achievement Motivation • Bonding to School • Homework • Reading for Pleasure • Caring • Equality and Social Justice • Integrity • Honesty • Responsibility • Restraint Source: http://www.search-institute.org

32. Service Learning & Healthy Outcomes • Personal and Social Development • Increase measures of personal and social responsibility • Increased self-esteem and self-efficacy • Less likely to engage in “risk” behaviors • Less likely to be referred for disciplinary measures • Less likely to engage in behaviors that lead to pregnancy or arrest • School Environment/Climate • Improves overall school climate Source: Research on k-12 School-Based Service Learning (S.H. Billig)

33. The Benefits of Service Learning • Civic Responsibility • Increase awareness of community needs • Relate to culturally diverse groups • Feel they can make a difference • Academic Learning • Improved grades including test scores • Improved grade point averages • Improved problem-solving skills • Increased interest in academics • Increased student attendance Source: Research on K-12 School-Based Service Learning (S.H. Billig)

34. The Institute Structure • Four day residential program • July 6th through July9th 2014 • Teams of 4-6 students with 1-2 school-based mentors • Team-building Exercises • Interactive Classroom Sessions • Experiential Learning Opportunity • FREE!!! (except transportation to and from Raleigh)

35. SLI Resources

36. 2012 & 2013 SLI TEAMS REGION 3 NORTH CENTRAL Moore Square Museum Magnet Rocky Mount Preparatory Southeast Halifax North Johnston High Aurelian Springs Elementary School William G. Enloe High School REGION 5 PIEDMONT - TRIAD/ CENTRAL Efland Cheeks Erwin Montessori Mineral Springs Middle Penn-Griffith High Ronald E. McNair Elementary School Grove Park Elementary Bonlee Elementary School REGION 1 NORTHEAST Lakeforest Elementary First Flight Middle REGION 7 NORTHWEST Snow Creek Elementary Bethlehem/Ellendale Elementary Schools Alleghany Camden Currituck Northampton Gates Ashe Surry Stokes Rockingham Person Caswell Warren Vance Hertford Pasquotank Halifax Wilkes Watauga Granville Forsyth Perquimans Chowan Avery Yadkin Bertie Orange Mitchell Guilford Franklin Nash Durham Caldwell Alamance Davie Alexander Edgecombe Yancey Madison Martin Dare Davidson Wake Iredell Washington Tyrrell Burke Randolph Chatham Wilson McDowell Rowan Catawba Buncombe Pitt Haywood Beaufort Johnston Lincoln Swain Greene Lee Hyde Rutherford Cabarrus Harnett Henderson Wayne Jackson Graham Stanly Moore Polk Gaston Cleveland Montgomery Lenoir Mecklenburg Craven Transylvania Macon Cherokee Pamlico Clay Cumberland Richmond Hoke Jones Union Anson Sampson Duplin Scotland Carteret Onslow Robeson Bladen REGION 8 WESTERN Bruce Drysdale Elementary Pleasant Gardens Elementary School Alternative Education Center Pender REGION 6 SOUTHWEST Lincoln Charter Elementary Concord Middle REGION 2 SOUTHEAST Penderlea Elementary Southwest Middle Kenansville Elementary School Town Creek Greene County Middle School Southwest High School REGION 4 SANDHILLS/ SOUTHCENTRAL Cameron Elementary Hoke County High Vass Lakeview Elementary Gray's Creek Middle School New Columbus Hanover Brunswick

37. 2014 SLI • July 6-9, 2014 • William Peace University • Veteran Cohort and Beginner Cohort • Focus: Building Capacity in Student Leadership, Service and Character Development. • Application process to select teams

38. A Snapshot of SLI 2012

39. If Implemented Well, Character Education Can… • Bring Schools and Communities together • Improve school and classroom climate • Create safer (Safe & Drug Free) and more caring schools • Close the achievement gap • Improve academic achievement for all • Increase academic integrity • Foster greater professional ethics • Lead to improved healthy behaviors • Lead to service to others

40. “Nothing is more important to the public weal [well-being] than to form and train up youth in wisdom and virtue.” --Benjamin Franklin

41. Contact Info: Fay Gore Section Chief, K-12 Social Studies NC Character Education Coordinator Fay.gore@dpi.nc.gov (919) 807-3954