Character.org

Character.org's ultimate goal is for every school to be a school of character where students flourish academically and do the right thing. We want students to graduate from school being both smart and good. We achieve this goal by training and providing resources to empower teachers, coaches, parents, and others in the community who have a direct impact on the character development of children.

In each School of Character we expect to see improved academic achievement, reduced reports of bullying, reduced disciplinary issues, reduced violence, increased graduation rates and attendance, increased community involvement, increased election participation, increased teacher satisfaction and retention, increased parental involvement and increased student engagement. In general, students should become more respectful, responsible communicators who will ultimately be better prepared for the workforce, as well as engaged and ethical citizens. Our goal is also to see schools of character in every state in the country.

In order to fully achieve this vision, we must:
• Expand our scope / capacity / customer base / training cadre
• Leverage technology to increase our audience
• Establish fiscal self-sustainability

In order to reach our goals, Character.org provides opportunities and resources for teachers and others to help them educate children to have good character. We do this through the following key programs:

1. The National Forum on Character Education: This national conference brings together researchers and practitioners to see what works in character education. Inspirational keynotes, practical workshops, and a variety of training sessions help all attendees go home with ideas ready to implement.

2. Our online web resource center (www.character.org): Provides lesson plans, discussions on key topics, and many other resources—most available for free.

3. The Schools of Character Program: Many applicants have told us that the very act of applying and reflecting deeply on their school's situation leads to school improvement. In addition we provide free professional feedback to all who apply.

4. Promising Practices Awards: This recognition program for individual teachers encourages everyone to implement strategies and programs to help children improve.

5. Professional Development: Our trainings help schools understand how to implement effective character education based on our research-based framework, the 11 Principles of Effective Character Education. We also offer The 11 Principles Sourcebook, a compendium of resources and examples to help schools apply the 11 Principles of Effective Character Education.

We feel that these programs, especially in combination, can prepare teachers to develop a classroom and school climate where students thrive.

Character.org has 25 years of experience with schools and educators and a cadre of experts who advise us based upon child development research. Our Education Advisory Council includes well-known researchers in the field like Dr. Michele Borba, Dr. Marvin Berkowitz, Dr. Maurice Elias, and Dr. Tom Lickona.

Our 11 Principles of Effective Character Education framework is research-based and provides us with a roadmap in all of our work. We have a network of 30 state-level affiliates who extend our reach, and a network of like-minded organizations partners and contractors that we call upon for various projects. We also have a membership base which is dedicated to character development and a passionate team who believes in our vision.

Outcomes achieved: Character.org's Schools of Character program has really grown. When first established we selected only 10 National Schools of Character to serve as exemplar models. Now we consider it to be a school improvement program, and name all schools that reach the exemplar status based on our 11 Principles of Effective Character Education. Since 1997 we have recognized over 250 schools.

Seven years ago we decided that schools would retain their national designation for five years, giving them more time to mentor other schools and to provide outreach. In 2013 we named our first repeat National School of Character. We have increased our State Schools of Character network to 30 states. Several of these states have produced phenomenal results.

Not only has the network of schools of character increased, we have seen the concept grow from schools to the community and from school district to statewide standards. For example, Pleasanton, California became a Community of Character after several of their schools and district were named National Schools of Character. Now the city council, police department and other organizations recognize the same core values and refer to character as important just like the schools do. Kansas became the first state in the country to adopt statewide standards for character development.

Outcomes not yet realized: We have not yet established coordinators in 20 states and we have not named Schools of Character or Promising Practices in 3 states.

What works and doesn't work: From post-event surveys we have learned that our National Forum is very successful in helping schools with their character education programs. We have also adjusted our Schools of Character publication to become a more mainstream magazine with great practical use for those aspiring to become schools of character.

Adjustments to goals, strategies or objectives: Because school budgets have been cut severely in recent years and because federal and state policies have focused almost exclusively on test scores, schools have had reduced funding for professional development. So we have had to re-examine at how we deliver our services. We have created some webinars in the past few years to provide a lower cost alternative to trainings. We have also created a scholarship pool for those needing help in attending the Forum, and we have put more emphasis on providing resources via our website.