New Character Quotes Bookmarks Make your mark stylishly with our new Six Pillar bookmarks. Eye-catching designs with the Pillar values printed on the front turn over to reveal inspirational quotations. Perfect for prizes or gifts, these bookmarks come in packs of 60, (10 in each of the Six Pillars) for only $24.95. Order securely online or call »
Featured Articles
America’s Dropout Dilemma: How to Turn Kids on to School
A recent report issued by the EPE Research Center revealed that the high school dropout rate could be as high as 50 percent in some states. That was no surprise to many. Slashed budgets, standardized testing, and changing priorities in federal education laws have turned classrooms into microcosms of the stress facing schools. No one »
Connecting Kids and Communities
Young people don’t develop at home, at school, or in a program. They grow up in a community. Whole- community involvement greatly increases the chance of success for a character-education program. Easier said than done. Meeting academic standards and implementing character development is asking a lot of teachers. Why should they have to involve the community, »
Take a Stand!
As schools face funding crunches and federal funds are increasingly tied to standards, more people are looking elsewhere to fund events and activities. Sunkist is offering kids aged 7-12 the opportunity to raise money for their school through traditional lemonade stands. They will send free kits to applicants, but they’re limited to the first 20,000 »
Fairness Is More Rewarding Than Money
UCLA neuroscience and human-behavior researchers have demonstrated a link between fairness and reward in the brain. “Receiving a fair offer activates the same brain circuitry as when we eat craved food, win money, or see a beautiful face,” lead author Golnaz Tabibnia explained in UCLA’s Newsroom. The experiment utilized the ultimatum game, a test in which »
Teachable Moments Aren’t Always Pretty
The recent Internet videotape of six girls beating up a 16-year-old resulted in a national outcry and call for a ban on online shock videos that “desensitize” kids to violence. But Michael Josephson, founder of Josephson Institute and CHARACTER COUNTS!, disagrees. “The fact that we’re able to see it is a good thing,” he told The Baltimore »
Mosaic Posters
Mosaic PostersEye-catching and thought-provoking, these posters make a colorful addition to hallways. The best-sellers are now available in smaller sizes that can be displayed easily on notice boards to promote creativity as well as good character. Not just pretty faces either, they can be used to stimulate discussion on what the Six Pillar values represent, »
Are You Culturally Competent to Teach Character?
It is common practice to compare and contrast students in terms of academic ability by race and ethnicity. But what about morality? Many schools are implementing character-education frameworks into their curriculum to meet “essential life skills” standards. To analyze their program’s effectiveness and to receive funding for it, they need data. Too little info can hurt, »
The Story of Stuff
Throughout this month’s special edition, all Web links to sites will help your class or organization live a more sustainable life. Our final free resource is a 20-minute animated story about, well, stuff. All the “stuff” we consume creates enormous waste. As long as we have trees to cut down, coal to mine, and oil to »
The Environment Affects Your Mental Health
Technology has made travel fashionable and profitable. And moving away from home is not only a rite of passage, it’s a status symbol. Clearly, we’ve become a transient society that bends its surroundings to fit its needs. We control our environment; it doesn’t control us. Or does it? “We like to think we’re cool, 21st-century people, »
