IN THIS ISSUE

Program Development: After School Too -- How CC! Helps After-School Programs
Training: Planning Your School-Wide Initiative
Faces of CC!: Tammy Linn -- National Leadership Council Member
Character in the Curriculum: Get Ready for the Big One
Commentary by Michael Josephson: The Concept of Enough

ON THE SIDE

Announcements
CC! in the News: Good Character? It's Elementary
Resource of the Month: Making Ethical Decisions
Did You Know? A Tale of Two Patriots
Free Resources for Teachers:
• Dirty Money
• Plagiarism Sleuth Tool
Website Poll: What Do You Feel About the Level of Dishonesty in April Fool's Tricks?
2007 Conference Dates and Training Programs

Program Development

After School Too -- How CC! Helps After-School Programs

When kids misbehave often it's because they want attention. When a child's parents work long hours and the child is without supervision, however, this can be a recipe for disaster.

After-school programs are one way to address behavioral issues away from school or home. Recent studies by the Harvard Family Research Project revealed that after-school programs can have positive effects on poor classroom behavior. They have three advantages:

1. Children have space, both emotional and physical, to reflect on their behavior.
2. Parents don't trigger resentment from their kids for leaving them alone.
3. Teachers don't have to give up valuable teaching time because of the actions of a few.

Why Anaheim Chose CC!

The entire Anaheim community services department uses CC! for all employees. The framework is clearly illustrated in the employee manual, as well as in all hiring procedures. This was why Carlos Perez, community services supervisor in Anaheim, CA, chose CC! as the ethics component in the Kids in Action Youth Development Program. The program is part of Project SAY (Support Anaheim's Youth) that serves junior high and high school youth and their families.

Perez says it was a natural step to use CC!. Staff at each of Kids in Action's seven program sites develops a calendar of activities highlighting one of the Six Pillars of Character per month. Weekly events are planned and implemented using each Pillar as a foundation. Kids are taught the definition and characteristics of each Pillar through non-competitive activities.

Included in the program are community-service projects, excursions to sporting events, cultural-awareness activities, and social/educational field trips. Children are allowed to plan their own activities and excursions, giving them a greater sense of ownership in the program.

Popularity and Efficacy

Teen volunteers help Kids in Action participants with homework

The Kids in Action Program began in 1990, and CC! has played a key role since 2000. Four of the centers are on school sites, and the other three are at city-run resource centers. Since July 2006, Kids in Action has enrolled more than 700 youth, and each site averages 40-50 daily visits, depending on the Anaheim City School District's tract system and the number of tracts in session.

"Kids with behavior problems in school come to the program centers. They are starting to understand the ethics of CC!, and the framework is having a huge impact on them," says Perez.

With funding becoming more closely tied to research, Perez is planning closer analysis of the benefits of Kids in Action, looking at both academic and behavior outcomes.

Funding and Research

The Kids in Action programs are free. Funding is supplied by the City of Anaheim and a Federal Community Development Block grant. Maintaining federal funding for programs is crucial to many CC! coalition members, and research is one way to secure dollars already earmarked for youth development and intervention programs.

Here are tips to help you gather data to support your grant application:

• Identify the program elements you want to assess. Target areas in which you expect to see improvement.
• Use available data. School attendance records, behavior referrals, etc. are available from schools.
• Look at other measurement tools. Similar surveys and questionnaires that have been used in other studies can be reliable and valid measures.
• Weave data-collection into your program. Regular data collection is easier to manage than collecting it once or twice per year.

Manzanita site participants

Northwest Regional Education Library has a wealth of useful information.

For further information on data collection specific to CC! as well as help and advice on how to implement CC! into current after-school programs, contact us at ccnews@jiethics.org.

Training

Planning Your School-Wide Initiative

CHARACTER COUNTS! was a visible presence at the ASCD (Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development) Conference in Anaheim, CA. This was no mean feat as there were nearly 600 sessions and more than 11,000 attendees gathered together under the theme "Valuing the Whole Child."

One of the sessions was "Planning Your School-Wide Character Initiative," facilitated by Nicole Wahab who is part of an active coalition effort and assistant principal at a high school in Poway Unified School District, CA. Particularly useful were the insights Wahab offered into sustaining staff development in character education:

• Secure active support at the administrative level.
• Set clear expectations of what you want to achieve.
• Make concrete, specific strategies built around behavior and attitudes.
• Make investments in appropriate professional development.

If you'd like to learn more, see the "Planning Your School-Wide Character Initiative" session PowerPoint slides and handouts.

Sustainability and depth are key to the success of your CHARACTER COUNTS! initiative. For more information on these issues, please contact us at ccnews@jiethics.org.

Faces of CC!

Tammy Linn -- National Leadership Council Member

Tammy Linn

On the home page of the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame, a quote by historian Dr. Reba Grandrud serves as a fitting introduction to a dynamic force for change in Yavapai County who may one day join its ranks:

"Our Arizona Women's Hall of Fame honorees
have achieved greatness because they were determined.
If they saw a need, they filled it.
If they met an obstacle, they got around it.
One way or another, they met the challenge."

It is difficult to find anyone who has not been touched by Tammy Linn and her determination to connect the community.

Shortly after completing our Character Development Seminar eight years ago, Linn teamed up with Governor Jane Hull to initiate the CHARACTER COUNTS! Initiative in Arizona. In 2000, she set up the Arizona Character Education Foundation. The Department of Education has a character education department that coordinates trainings funded by the Foundation and funds salaries for 2.5 staff members in the Foundation. More than 25 Character Development Seminar trainings have been funded through the Foundation, which has resulted in more than 750 schools trained in CHARACTER COUNTS!, 900 trained staff, and 125 teacher in-service trainings each year.

During a recent telephone interview, Linn barely pauses for breath as she reels off all the names of the various projects initiated under CC! and the connections they have formed throughout the community. From lobbying for legislation to issuing CC! license plates in Arizona to distributing wood to elderly and low-income families, Linn's energy is contagious. "One hundred pairs of hands can do so much more than one," she says, insisting she's merely a catalyst for others to cooperate.

Linn tells us she works hardest at ensuring there is sustainability and depth to each CC! project. Once she identifies a need, she mobilizes everyone from school kids to detention-center youths to Chambers of Commerce to corporations.

Tammy with her son, Austin

One memorable example was Project Stay Warm. Recognizing the need for cheap firewood for low-income and elderly families during the cold winter months, Linn enlisted the help of the Arizona Public Service corporation. "They were already cutting down wood from around power lines, so I thought, 'here's a great opportunity to help.'"

Everyone benefited. APS found charitable use for the unwanted lumber; the Boy Scouts, school kids, and detention-center youths helped distribute the wood; and many people stayed warm during the chilly winter months.

Linn is always on the go, constantly thinking of new methods to bring her community closer through active participation under the CC! framework. She is currently working on a massive project to send 5,000 boxes of goods to troops serving in Iraq. Many local families have members deployed in Iraq, and the effort will help keep them connected with their loved ones overseas, as well as offering excellent opportunities for students helping with packing to feel part of something bigger.

Yavapai County's enthusiasm for the endeavor was so massive that the number of boxes has exceeded the amount earmarked for shipping costs ($40,000). To paraphrase Dr. Grandrud, one way or another, we're confident that Linn will meet the challenge.

Comment on this story in the Local News Blog

For more information on the Packages For Our Troops drive and other Arizona Character Education Foundation intiatives, click here.

Character in the Curriculum Tips Foundations for Life program offers free writing prompts, lesson plans, and cross-curricular connections based on character-related maxims that complement your existing programs. Learn more about Foundations for Life at www.FFL-essays.org. Monthly Lesson Plan: Get Ready for the Big One The Great San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906, ranks as one of the most devastating of all time. The 8.3 magnitude jolt collapsed buildings and sparked fires that raged throughout the city for three days. Seeing opportunity in disaster gives us insight and helps us make informed choices about the future. April is the anniversary of the quake and provides a visual illustration of how important it is to reflect on this historic event and learn from the past. Get the Elementary Lesson Plan Get the Secondary Lesson Plan › Find free Foundations for Life resources › Purchase Good Ideas books

Dirty Money

Not the sort of thing you'd expect from CHARACTER COUNTS!, but if you're a history or Latin teacher, use un-cleaned ancient coins to bring your lesson to life.

FORVM's website shows how to use coins in your lesson planning and offers information about coins from ancient cultures. Teachers can request up to 30 coins for grades 5 and above for use in lessons about Latin, or Roman or Byzantine history. Click here to find out more.

Plagiarism Sleuth Tool

More than half the students who admitted to online plagiarism didn't consider it cheating, according to Rutgers professor Donald L. McCabe.

With more and more classrooms using digital technology, the temptation to simply cut and paste from outside sources grows stronger. Make sure your students and kids know there isn't a difference between copying from a notebook and cutting and pasting. If you suspect duplicity, use this free online tool.

Commentary by Michael Jospehson

Adapted from Michael Josephson's Gabriel Award-winning radio commentaries, airing Monday through Friday across the nation.

The Concept of Enough

Have you heard about the man who was feeling sorry for himself because he couldn't afford new shoes -- until he met a man with no shoes? And the man with no shoes who became almost overcome with grief about his lot in life -- until he met a man with no feet?

Comparisons can help us put our lives in perspective and know what we ought to be grateful for. But they can also build barriers to happiness. For some, it's not enough to have something good. It's important that no one has anything better. So the man who was happy to have a warm place to sleep will become discontent when he meets a man who owns a house. Why is our happiness diminished when we think someone else may be happier?

One way to deal with the seduction of comparisons is to develop the concept of "enough” by thinking more clearly about the difference between our wants and our needs. It's okay to want and enjoy comforts and pleasures beyond the necessities, but when we convince ourselves we need whatever we want, we mount a treadmill that can never take us to happiness.

When we confuse our wants with our needs, we diminish our ability to appreciate and enjoy our lives. And when we feel cheated in life, we are more likely to become cheaters and sacrifice integrity, the one thing we all have in abundance. When integrity goes, no amount of material success will make a difference.

Knowing what "enough" is need not sap ambition to get more than we have. It merely frees us from the sense of deprivation that could cause us to be less than we can be.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Commentary transcripts and audio files are archived here.

Subscribe to the free weekly commentary newsletter here.

National CHARACTER COUNTS! Week Resources Now Available!

CHARACTER COUNTS! Week, the third full week of every October, is a powerful way to build community around common enduring values — and to connect to communities nationwide doing the same thing.

More than FOUR MILLION kids were involved last year. Democratic and Republican Presidents have proclaimed it, along with the Congress and most state legislatures and governors.

Read more and download resources >

View Chronicle archive

Do you have stories to share about character or character education? Please send them to ccnews@jiethics.org. E-mail your photos, too. We can use almost any format.

What Do You Need?

Suffering from repetitive strain injury as you scroll and click through all those lesson-plan sites?

To assist you, we are planning to include an innovative resource of lesson-planning materials on our website. But before we do, we need your input. Please participate in this online survey and let us know what resources you would find useful.

August Conference a Must for Educators And Character-Development Practitioners

Do you want to start a character-education program? Have you done so and want to expand? Are you looking for best practices from the nation’s foremost ethics educators?

Then consider attending the National CC! Conference on August 1-3, 2007, in Anaheim, California. Whatever stage you’re at, this conference was created for educators like you. Connect with experienced program developers from some of the most successful programs in the country. Gather resources, contacts, support, and materials. Get motivated so you can make character count in your school and community.

The three-day gathering will feature:

• Michael Josephson and several other featured speakers
• Breakout sessions (last year’s conference presented 24 panels and workshops on everything from model programs to at-risk youth to sustainability to state standards)
• Networking opportunities with program developers from primary and secondary schools, athletics, youth-development, and community projects
• Morning and lunchtime general sessions
• Inspiring student presentations
• CHARACTER COUNTS! booth with instructional products and resources

The conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza Anaheim Resort just blocks away from Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and the new California Adventure (free hotel shuttles to amusement parks).

For more information, call (559) 733-6172 or click here.

Have You Got Mail?

By now you should have received your membership renewal forms in the mail. Please let us know if you have not received yours.

Since we're a nonprofit organization, your membership and continued support help us continue the work we do.

Members receive these benefits:

• Discounts on a wide range of training and educational materials, including a 10 percent discount on support products
• Opportunity to use our logos and trademarks, with permission
• Free consultation
• Free survey for secondary students
• Networking benefits and a membership directory (call 800-711-2670 if you have not received your 2005/2006 edition)
• Two half-off scholarships for Character Development Seminars (for new members)
• One complimentary copy of Good Ideas to Help Young People Develop Good Character, a book with 250 activity ideas, plus details on how to bring CC! to life at school and throughout the community (for new members)

Members make three important commitments:

1. Integrate character education into all programs and encourage families to make choices according to the Six Pillars of Character.
2. Participate in and encourage community involvement in awareness programs.
3. Share ideas with the CC! national office regarding methods and materials that others might use.

We also ask members to publicize local, state, and national CHARACTER COUNTS! activities and the impact character education has had in their communities.

Good Character? It's Elementary

Hickory Elementary School and Clear Spring High School in Maryland's Washington County have been selected as Maryland Character Education Schools.

Administered by the Maryland Center for Character Education, the distinction recognizes schools that have implemented a systematic, school-wide character education program and have demonstrated evidence of curricular integration, parent and guardian involvement in reinforcing elements of character education, and student service-learning.

This is the second year Hickory has been selected. The decision to implement the CC! framework came from principal Cathy Scuffins who brought it with her from her previous post which also earned the school a character award.

A Tsunami of Goodwill

Hickory, a Title 1 school with only 300 students, features such CC! activities as "Caught You Doing Good” awards, fundraising drives, and service projects. At a recent Salvation Army food drive students and staff donated 1,400 items. Student participation and service-learning helped raise over $3,000 for the South-east Asian tsunami relief fund.

The school's successes are not only measured in financial terms though. Since implementing CC!, attendance has soared to 97% and behavior referrals have plummeted to less than 50%. Self-regulation and a greater sense of responsibility have helped the kids become productive citizens, says Scuffins.

With cross-grade constitution lessons and numerous community events, the positive issues coming from Hickory Elementary are now filtering back into the neighborhood. They are most worthy recipients. Congratulations!

All proceeds benefit CHARACTER COUNTS! and the nonprofit Josephson Institute.

Making Ethical Decisions

The 21st century has already thrown us some knotty dilemmas that hinder our ability to make proper and sound decisions and to distinguish between competing choices.

This booklet by Michael Josephson offers a clear, easy-to-follow model of ethical decision-making and realistic examples to stimulate reflection. The primer is ideal for individuals or as a training guide for organizations wishing to help its employees find their way through difficult issues.

Making Ethical Decisions is available in our online store for $8.95.

Also consider purchasing Mr. Josephson's "What Will Matter" poem on CD-ROM together with this booklet. The pair could make an excellent gift.

The CD-ROM is available for $9.95.

To order, call (800) 711-2670 or visit our secure online catalog.

Are you innovating with our resources? Share your ideas and we'll publish them here. E-mail us at ccnews@jiethics.org.

A Tale of Two Patriots

Two different holidays commemorate historical events in which Americans died in the name of freedom. The incidents span 200 years, but share almost the same name. What are they?

Patriot Day and Patriots' Day.

Patriot Day honors the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. President George W. Bush declared September 11 a discretionary day of remembrance and Americans mark the occasion by flying U.S. flags at half-staff and observing a moment of silence at 8:46, the time of the first plane crash in New York.

Patriots' Day, held on April 19, marks the anniversary of the first battle of the American Revolutionary War at Lexington and Concord in 1775. Although the "s" makes a difference, the apostrophe does not Patriots' Day is sometimes spelled Patriot's Day or Patriots Day. It is a civic holiday in Massachusetts and Maine and a public school observance day in Wisconsin. One Patriots Day tradition dating back to 1897 is running the Boston Marathon on this day each year.

As you remind children to dot their "i's" and cross their "t's", don't forget to add an "s" to this month's holiday.

What Do You Feel About the Level of Dishonesty in April Fools Tricks?

a) Acceptable
b) Unacceptable

Respond and see the results.

Last Month's Results: What percentage of groups in your community are actively involved in making character count? 0-10% 11-25% 26-50% 51-75% 76-100%

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Josephson Institute is working to create a world where decisions and behavior are guided by ethics.