Character.org Announces 80 Schools & 4 Districts as 2015 State Schools of Character
Washington, D.C. — Character.org (formerly the Character Education Partnership), a national character education advocate recognizes 80 schools and 4 districts from 18 states as 2015 State Schools and Districts of Character today. Since Character.org’s Schools of Character program’s inception, more than 500 schools have been designated as a State School of Character, impacting more than 750,000 students. (Complete listing of the 2015 State Schools and Districts of Character found at bottom of this announcement.)
Each year, Character.org and its state affiliates select schools and districts that demonstrate a dedicated focus on character development that has a true positive impact on academic achievement, student behavior, and school climate. Schools and districts announced today will be forwarded on to the national evaluation process for consideration to be National Schools of Character.
“These schools and districts have created caring cultures where thousands of students and hundreds of educators are empowered to achieve their goals,” said Becky Sipos, Character.org’s President & CEO. “We applaud every school and district across the United States that participated in this program. This year’s designated schools and districts show that advancing character initiatives is a prime factor in developing students into confident and ethical leaders. They have created ideal conditions for students to grow in being both smart and good.”
Criteria for the designation are based on Character.org’s 11 Principles of Effective Character Education, which includes providing students with opportunities for moral action, fostering shared leadership and engaging families and communities as partners in character-building efforts.
“We are thrilled to be designated as a 2015 Missouri School of Character,” said Aaron Wilken, Principal of Fox Middle School in Arnold, Missouri. “With this recognition, our staff and students are excited to see their hard work pay off while also setting an example for other schools in our state. We are hopeful that our example will encourage other schools to simply participate in the program as there is so much value in the evaluation process alone that Character.org leads.”
The 2015 National Schools of Character will be announced in mid May at a press conference in Washington, D.C. Character.org will also honor these schools and districts at the 22nd National Forum on Character Education, to be held Oct 16-17, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia.