School-Connect & Character Education

Character education is integral to School-Connect.  In fact, S-C authors Kathy Beland and Julea Douglass, met and first discussed developing a high school program while working on the National Schools of Character (NSOC) awards program at the Character Education Partnership (CEP), a national non-profit organization located in Washington, DC.   Kathy is lead author of the Eleven Principles Sourcebook:How to Achieve Quality Character Education in K-12 Schools (CEP, 2003) and currently serves as chair of the Blue Ribbon Panel, which selects annually the NSOC winners.  Julea is the lead author of the Character Education Evaluation Toolkit (CEP, 2002)

School-Connect modules address character development in the following ways:

Module 1: Creating a Supportive Learning Community develops skills in empathy, including recognizing emotions, taking others’ perspective, and acting with compassion; respect for human differences; and reducing labeling, stereotyping, and bullying within the school community.

Module 2: Developing Self-Awareness & Self-Management develops skills in managing emotions and behavior; thinking and acting with hope and optimism; expressing gratitude towards others, recognizing and using character strengths; and evaluating the values promoted through the media.

Module 3: Building Academic Strengths develops skills in recognizing underlying beliefs that lead to engagement in learning and support for academic integrity; setting and achieving goals, and working collaboratively with peers.

Module 4: Resolving Conflicts and Making Decisions develops skills in responsible decision making, peaceful resolution of conflicts, resisting behaviors that put students at risk, and apologizing and forgiving.

In summary, School-Connect creates an environment for students to discuss, practice and habituate skills essential to acting with respect, responsibility, caring, and the other virtues fundamental to character development.