1. education

WE TEACH, WE CONNECT, WE INSPIRE
1025 Connecticut Avenue
Suite 1011
Washington, DC 20036
(800) 988-8081
www.character.org
Character Education Partnership
2009 Annual Report
“I agree with Dr. Martin Luther King and believe that intentional
character development should be part of every school’s culture, teaching
methods and curriculum. As a national resource, CEP can help school
leaders develop effective programs that meet their needs.”
—General Colin Powell
Donors and Supporters
Financials
July 1, 2008—December 31, 2009
Aflac Foundation
Jack & Annis Bowen Foundation
John and Frances Pepper
Air Tran Airways
Nel & Edward Jackson
The Pieper Family Foundation
Art Image Publications
Paula M. Keinath 1969 Trust
Mr. & Mrs. Norman Augustine
John Oster Family Foundation
PKS Investments,
Joe Ribis & Lloyd Church
Charles Baker
John Templeton Foundation
Bank of America
JSM Charitable Trust
Lisa Barrowclough
Principal Financial Group,
Barry Griswell
William Kanaga
Steve Bartlett
Project Wisdom
Frank Keating
BB&T Bank, Luis Lobo
Quaker Foods
Maryanne Lavan
Marvin Berkowitz
Responsive Classroom
Cherry Lawrence
Diane Berreth
Robb Family Rev Intervivos Trust
Learning for Life
Anne Bryant
Robert Galvin Foundation
Thomas Lickona
Caribou Coffee
Robo Media
Lockheed Martin
Centene Corporation
Safeway
Lee MacVaugh
Character Development Group
Eileen Santiago
Dr. and Mrs. Paul F. MacVittie
Charmm’d Foundation
Betty Siegel
Macy’s Foundation
Chesapeake Energy Corporation
Shinnyo-en Foundation
Lara Maupin
Jeff Cordes
Shoppers Food & Pharmacy
Joseph Mazzola
Film Clips for Character
Education
Sprint Foundation
Sanford N. McDonnell
Starbucks, N. Beauregard St.
Randall W. McDonnell
Stephen M. Boyd Fund
John F. McGillicuddy
Binky P. Stephenson
McGraw-Hill Companies
Richard Teerlink
Linda McKay
Rising Star Education
National Association for
Self Esteem
Tilbury House Publishers
David Fisher
Free Spirit Publishing
George H. Gallup, Jr.
Giant Foods
Robert Franklin
Barbara Gruener
Charles Haynes
Hermann Foundation
Marilyn Hinton
Herbert Hobler
National Professional
Resources, Inc.
Positive Action
United Airlines
FY 2009
Current Assets
Property & Equipment
Other Assets
Total Assets
Current Liabilities
Fund Balance/Equity
Total Liabilities & Fund Balance
Contributions/Fees
Released Contributions
Other Revenue
Total Revenue
Core Restricted Programs
Unrestricted Programs
Total Expenses
Net Income Gain/Loss
$
$
$
1,484,527
9,929
598,402
$
2,092,858
$
$
135,128
1,957,730
$
2,092,858
$
$
$
1,681,492
220,000
155,089
$
2,056,581
$
$
1,348,710
777,015
$
2,125,725
$
(69,144)
Valley Soap Company
Britain Nicholson
Whole Foods, Old Town
Celeste Robb-Nicholson
Robert C. Woodworth
Oceano De Dios, Utopia
Cruise Line
Hertz Rental Car
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
13
Mission
Leading the nation in helping schools
develop people of good character
for a just and compassionate society.
Vision
Quality character education in all schools,
TABLE OF CONTENTS
building a nation of ethical citizens
Letter from the Chairman
of the Board and CEO................................... 2
who pursue excellence in all areas of their lives.
Strengthening our Mission................................... 3
Expanding our Programs...................................... 5
Professional Development............................ 6
National Forum on Character Education....... 8
National Schools of Character.................... 10
Honor Roll of Donors and Financials.................. 13
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
1
LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND THE CEO
CEP felt the impact of the economic crisis that swept across the entire nation throughout 2009. Even
though that was the case, we are proud to report that it was also a very good year for our organization.
Kurt Andersen, in his book Reset, said that the financial meltdown provided a window for many
of us “to change our ways, rethink our habits, and rediscover our values.” In many respects, the
past year provided a “reset” moment for our organization. We spent much of the year analyzing our
organizational strengths and weaknesses, reviewing our vision for the future, and then developing a
new comprehensive strategic plan to guide us over the next several years.
We also helped schools through their own “reset” moments during 2009. The nation’s intense
focus on test scores over the past several years has been frustrating for educators and others.
Many schools continue to search for answers on how to improve school climate. They want to initiate
effective strategies to deal with difficult challenges: dropout rates, the achievement gap, the far-tooprevalent culture of bullying and cheating, and more.
CEP is sensitive to these challenges, and that’s why we continue to showcase how intentional,
systemic character education can be an effective and low cost solution to school transformation.
When done right, we know that it can positively transform school climate. And, when that happens,
students are more apt to flourish.
This annual report showcases CEP’s impact at the national level through our advocacy work, at
the state level through our growing State Schools of Character program, and at the local level through
our professional development for educators and schools.
Although we are proud of our work during the past year, please know that we are committed to
broadening our reach and impact as we move forward. Our goal is quality character education in all
schools, building a nation of ethical citizens who pursue excellence in all areas of their lives, which is
in the long term best interest of our communities, nation and world—and it is the right thing to do.
David Fisher
Chairman of the Board
2
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
Joseph W. Mazzola
Executive Director
STRENGTHENING
OUR MISSION
In keeping with our mission to be the preeminent advocate for character education in all schools,
CEP, with support from our constituency, advocated for four primary initiatives during FY 2009.
Encouraging The New President
To Emphasize Character: CEP
Reaching Out To The
Department Of Education:
sent a letter to President-elect Barack Obama
encouraging him to emphasize character and
integrity at every opportunity. We also sent
a letter to his transition team, asking that
character education be folded into their broader
strategy to improve schools. Thirty-seven likeminded organizations, including Character
Counts!, Characterplus, Learning for life, the
Foundation for Character Development, and
the Center for the 4th and 5th Rs, were cosignatories to our proposal. CEP also created
a splash page on our website inviting visitors
to support our initiative and to send their
suggestions directly to the new President’s
transition team. Nearly 40,000 people clicked
on to this letter while it was available.
CEP’s participation in the U.S. Department
of Education’s “listening sessions” helped
influence the department’s “school climate
model” to focus on broader aspects of school
culture.
Executive Director Joe Mazzola said:
“Although there is reluctance to using some
of the exact language we use in the field of
character education, I am pleased to report that
the latest version of the Department’s School
Climate Model, and companion metrics,
now include words like ‘trust, caring, respect,
and pro-social behaviors.’ This, in my view,
marks a big step forward…and it shows that
Deputy Assistant Kevin Jennings and others are
genuinely listening and taking external input to
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
3
“The beauty of CEP and the Eleven Principles is that they provided for us a GPS
system in navigating our journey in character education. The standards are
tremendous in helping us to set benchmarks, and account for our success.”
—Donna M. Dunar, Ed.D., Principal, Alta S. Leary Elementary School, PA
heart. All of this remains work in progress.”
The Department of Education’s work on a
new “Improving School Culture and Climate”
grant initiative will allocate approximately
$30M to develop and promote programs that
foster safe, healthy schools. The initiative will
include character education.
CEP sent Secretary of Education Arne
Duncan copies of the letter to Presidentelect Obama and the petition of signatory
organizations and asked the Secretary to
use his position of influence to emphasize
integrity and to consider character education
as a powerful means of developing the future
leaders of our nation.
CEP was delighted when Kevin Jennings,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education, spoke
at our 2009 National Forum on Character
Education.
Urging Congress To Restore
Funding: When learning that the federal
government planned to discontinue funding
the national Partnerships in Character
Education Program (PCEP), CEP, in
4
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
partnership with several citizen advocates,
worked to restore funding. We actively spread
the message via email and sent instructions
with our E-ssential Character newsletter to
explain how our constituents could get involved
and advocate for restoration of funding from
the local level. The Vice Chairman of the CEP
Board of Directors, Gov. Frank Keating, sent a
letter to Senators Coburn (OK), Cochran (MS)
and Inhofe (OK) recommending that they help
restore funding for PCEP. As this report goes to
press, we are pleased to announce that the most
recent Joint House and Senate Conference
budget allocations for 2010 include a line item
in the amount of $8.2M for the PCEP program
to support existing, multi-year projects.
Reaching Out To States: CEP
continues to advocate for increased character
education through its growing State Schools
of Character Program that now includes 29
different states. In addition, Executive Director
Joe Mazzola sent letters of support for character
education to the New York state legislature.
EXPANDING
OUR PROGRAMS
We Teach…
We Connect…
This was a record-breaking year for CEP’s
professional development trainings. We focused
on multi-year initiatives in several states as
well as a number of single workshop trainings.
In 2009, trainings took place all across the
country, from Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas,
Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and Indiana to
local trainings in the Washington, DC area. In
addition, our partnership with the Charmm’d
Foundation and schools in the Chicago-area
entered its fourth year. Our professional
development also broadened to include
global perspectives. We saw increased work
internationally with trainings in Taiwan and
Estonia, and our Eleven Principles of Effective
Character Education was even translated into
Arabic for use in the Middle East.
We brought passionate educators together at
our National Forum on Character Education.
The 2008 and 2009 conferences provided
unparalleled networking with educators, policy
makers, students, and leaders in the field of
character education reaching people from 43
states and 10 different countries. Inspiring
keynotes, more than 70 breakout sessions, and
in-depth trainings gave participants a ton of
ideas to take back to their classrooms, schools
and school districts.
We Inspire…
More schools than ever before applied to be
National and State Schools of Character and to
win Promising Practices awards. CEP named
seven public schools, one charter school, one
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
5
WA
NH
MN
NY
WI
SD
UT
PA
IL
CO
CA
MA
MI
IA
KS
IN
OH
WV
MO
VA
NC
SC
GA
LA
TX
FL
In 2009, the majority of NSOC applications
were from 29 participating SSOC states. Six
are led by state departments of education
and 11 are associated with colleges and
universities.
NJ
MD
private school, and one school district as 2009 National Schools of Character from
the record 185 applicants across the United States. The State Schools of Character
program also continued to grow with three new states joining the initiative, for
a total of 29 states participating. CEP received a record 368 Promising Practices
applications from 274 public and private schools and districts. CEP gives these
annual awards for unique and specific exemplary practices that encourage the
ethical, social, and academic growth of students through character education. A
record 170 schools and districts received 200 awards. Of that number, 130 traveled
to the Washington, DC area to receive their awards in person. CEP’s creation of a
searchable Promising Practices database on its website now provides practitioners
easy access to a myriad of successful strategies.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Spotlight on One Long-Term Professional Development Initiative
Promising Practices Awards
200
Number of Awards
200
155
150
126 130
93
100
50 36
0
27
37
43
53
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Years
6
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
CEP has helped implement a
structured, comprehensive professional
development plan in Pinellas County
(FL). A comprehensive approach of
combining implementation tools
with practice and support has built
momentum across the district with
more schools and more personnel
becoming energized and invested in
character education. Although the
Pinellas County School Board (PCSB)
had islands of professionals who
were proponents of character
development since the 1990’s, under
their Commitment to Character
program, more connections have
been made to strengthen the initiative
county-wide. CEP’s work over the past
four years has had several facets: 1. Eleven Principles of Highly Effective
Character Education Workshops
Two-day Leadership Institutes
targeted administrative staff and other
school leadership.
One-day Seminars trained school
teams from high schools, middle
schools, elementary schools and
alternative schools. These trainings
used highly interactive techniques for
the adult learner. The goal of building
a positive culture, using core ethical
values as a foundation in an open-ended
framework while interjecting social-emotional
skill building provided participants with the
tools to customize their work according to their
school community’s strengths and challenges.
2. CEP provided two-tiered follow-up
collegials for school teams three and six
months after attending the Eleven Principles
Seminars. These were designed for school teams
to get support in the work they had begun,
to have opportunities to clarify questions and
solidify practices, to frame action plans for their
own school community and to network with
other professionals in their district.
3. CEP staff conducted school site visits
to take a snapshot of a day in the life of
that school. The written reports included an
overview, areas of strength, areas of challenge,
and recommendations.
Partnerships
Chicago: CEP’s partnership with the
Charmm’d Foundation entered its fourth year.
The Charmm’d initiative began with a group
of committed high school teams, and it has
now grown to include elementary and middle
schools.
“My team learned useful
ways to help students
become more accepting of
differences. Between the
strategies presented and CEP’s
Sourcebook as a resource, we
have the tools to address this
priority right away.”
Kansas: Eleven Principles Foundational
Professional Development Institutes took
place at seven service centers across Kansas.
School staffs came in teams to learn how to
improve their climate and culture through socialemotional and character development. Local
Kansas coaches led the charge with CEP
support.
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
7
Eleven Principles Foundational Trainings
These foundational trainings are among CEP’s
most popular. One is always held each year in
conjunction with the Forum, but CEP takes
these trainings across the country as well.
For Fairfax County Public Schools (VA), CEP
conducted 10 of these institutes in the 08-09
school year, training more than 500 educators.
International Efforts
CEP saw increased work internationally with
trainings in Taiwan and Estonia, and the
Eleven Principles was translated into Arabic.
CEP saw increased interest in character
development from countries around the world
as we hosted visitors from Japan, Brazil, and
the Organization of American States. We also
received calls and requests for resources and
help from a variety of countries including
Ghana, Singapore, Nigeria, South Korea,
and more.
NATIONAL FORUM ON
CHARACTER EDUCATION
CEP’s national conferences give participants
unique insight into what works in character
education and provide unparalleled networking
with educators, policy makers, students and
leaders in the field of character education.
8
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
Despite an economic crisis when most schools
had drastically reduced their budgets, more than
800 participants attended the 2009 Forum.
They represented 43 different states and 10
foreign countries: England, Japan, Singapore,
South Korea, Brazil, Nigeria, Mexico, Greece,
France and Canada. Attendees headed back
to their classrooms and communities ready to
dive in and get right to work with character
education.
CEP launched a new award in 2009—the
American Patriot of Character Award. The
annual award will recognize an American
citizen whose leadership exemplifies the best
of our nation’s founding principles and ideals.
General Colin Powell was the first recipient.
After receving the award from CEP’s Chairman
Emeritus, Sandy McDonnell, Gen. Powell
gave a truly inspiring speech to an audience of
hundreds of educators. It was a highlight of the
conference.
Following remarks from Gen. Powell and
Dr. Jack Templeton, the presentation of the
2009 National Schools of Character awards
brought the whole event together by showcasing
how character education can truly transform a
school’s climate and culture.
Inspiring keynote speakers, interesting
breakout sessions and hot topic discussions
provided great opportunities for educators to
network and bring home new ideas on how to
infuse their curriculums with core ethical values.
The Sanford N. McDonnell Award for
Lifetime Achievement in Character Education
was presented to Kathy Beland.
Peter Yarrow (of “Peter, Paul and Mary”
fame) performed a concert, following the
presentation. His performance got the whole
crowd involved and invested in the goals of the
conference.
The conference also offered extra value.
PreForum workshops provided smaller, more
intimate settings where participants were able to
gain an in-depth perspective on various topics
within character education. Attendees were
also able to visit exemplary schools during the
preconference site visits and witness Promising
Practices in Action in an interactive poster
session during breakfast.
Finally, there were a multitude of
opportunities to kick back, relax and enjoy
the time spent away from home during
the conference and on the Twilight Tour
of Washington and Ghost Tour of Historic
Alexandria, Virginia. Educators had the chance
to enjoy the city in all of its splendor and learn
about the rich history of their country.
Kathy Beland receives the
Sanford N. McDonnell Award
for Lifetime Achievement in
Character Education
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
9
NATIONAL SCHOOLS OF CHARACTER
Reach, Teach and Inspire
National Schools of Character (NSOC)
impacted the field of character education
by serving as models and sharing their
transformational strategies. They ignited other
educators through innovative and expansive
staff development activities. These trainings
included time for participants to complete
self-assessment surveys and create action plans.
NSOC also provided follow-up coaching and
opened their campuses as demonstration sites.
Having NSOC assume a leadership role in
inspiring and teaching other educators has
proved to be an effective method of increasing
the numbers of schools and districts developing
effective character education initiatives.
10
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
When each team that attends an NSOC
staff development session commits to reach,
teach and inspire back at its own school,
thousands of students are affected. For the
past two years, NSOC winners trained more
than 3,000 educators affecting approximately
500,000 students. With this compounding
pyramid effect, more and more schools are
becoming a “school of character.”
NSOC Outreach
2008 and 2009
3,000 educators trained
500,000 students affected
Spotlight on Outreach Impact
of a 2008 Winner
“Everything we heard, everything we saw was
powerful. I want to thank you because you have
helped us change the lives of 15,000 middle
school kids. And every year, it will be 5,000
more.” These parting words of Raul Moreno,
the principal of Paredes Middle School in
Austin, Texas, show the transformative power
of character education and the lasting benefit of
educators learning from one another. Moreno
and a team of three other administrators from
Austin School District (81,000 students)
observed NSOC Waterloo Middle School
(NY) and participated in the school’s outreach
training.
Waterloo’s outreach efforts have assisted
more than 100 schools in their quest for
excellence. Staff continue to travel to schools
to provide professional development, and they
continue to host visitors seeking to learn from
them. Having the opportunity to share their
successes and failures and to provide motivation
and direction for other schools has become a
meaningful endeavor for the entire Waterloo staff.
Immeasurable Impact of a 2009 Winner
Each National School of Character serves as an
exemplar of effective character education. The
following is an example that shows the impact
of just one service project at one school.
“Knot for Service” Project
“We knew we couldn’t be a real school of
character without some service learning,” said
school counselor Barbara Gruener, so to teach its
Pre–K to grade 3 students the value of service,
Westwood Elementary School (TX) started a
knit-for-service club seven years ago. Gruener
shared with CEP the following story that
shows even the youngest students can make a
difference.
Meet Herman, who donated the knitting
supplies his wife left behind when she passed
away. Meet Laura. She’s a community volunteer
who brings her friends to knit-club meetings
every Thursday morning and once a week during
recess to mentor the novice knitters. Meet Frank.
He saw Westwood’s story online from his home
in Illinois and now sends yarn from his church’s
garage sale twice a year. Meet Harold, king of
the Valentine’s Day dance at his retirement
home. He was tickled to receive one of the club’s
“Our proudest
moments…are when
we are able to meet
with the staff of
schools that are in
different stages of
character education
development to
provide guidance,
direction, and
leadership.”
—Mike Ferrara
Waterloo Principal
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
11
“Knot for Service”
Project (continued)
12
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
patchwork blankets. Meet Christina. She helps
expectant mothers at the pregnancy center
where the club sends two patchwork baby
blankets each spring. Then there’s 8-year-old Makenna. She
knit 12 baby hats to help save the lives of low
birth-weight preemies in developing countries,
and then traveled to Capitol Hill to advocate
for more funding to help reduce the staggering
infant mortality rate. Meet Grace. Home-bound
on oxygen, she saw the club on TV and called
to ask if someone could pick up her donations.
Meet the nearly 1,000 babies whose lives the
school has worked to save. And then there’s
DeDe, a writer across town who shared the
school’s story in Highlights magazine. The article
inspired Rita, who started a knit-for-service
club in California after reading the Highlights
story and Mary Margaret, a teacher who started
a club in Canada. Finally, meet Elizabeth, just
a third grader when she was invited to the
White House, where she left one of her baby
hats with the First Lady’s staff. When asked in
an interview how she felt about her handiwork
making it into the hands of the First Lady, she
replied, “It was okay, I guess, but I really made
it for a baby.”
A project with a purpose that has closely
knit the Westwood community is just one
example of what CEP’s NSOC process has done
for the Westwood family. Students are leading
by example. As they knit, the students use both
sides of their brain, practice their math skills
and fine-tune their fine motor coordination.
Then, they give their handiwork away and learn
to share their time and their talents for a greater
good, to help people whom they may never
meet. Teachers say using this old-fashioned craft
instead of new technology to connect students
to another world has been as refreshing as it
has been rewarding. This intergenerational
service-learning opportunity has generated
a synergy of caring and compassion that
has rippled out to positively impact our
community and our world.
“I agree with Dr. Martin Luther King and believe that intentional
character development should be part of every school’s culture, teaching
methods and curriculum. As a national resource, CEP can help school
leaders develop effective programs that meet their needs.”
—General Colin Powell
Donors and Supporters
Financials
July 1, 2008—December 31, 2009
Aflac Foundation
Jack & Annis Bowen Foundation
John and Frances Pepper
Air Tran Airways
Nel & Edward Jackson
The Pieper Family Foundation
Art Image Publications
Paula M. Keinath 1969 Trust
Mr. & Mrs. Norman Augustine
John Oster Family Foundation
PKS Investments,
Joe Ribis & Lloyd Church
Charles Baker
John Templeton Foundation
Bank of America
JSM Charitable Trust
Lisa Barrowclough
Principal Financial Group,
Barry Griswell
William Kanaga
Steve Bartlett
Project Wisdom
Frank Keating
BB&T Bank, Luis Lobo
Quaker Foods
Maryanne Lavan
Marvin Berkowitz
Responsive Classroom
Cherry Lawrence
Diane Berreth
Robb Family Rev Intervivos Trust
Learning for Life
Anne Bryant
Robert Galvin Foundation
Thomas Lickona
Caribou Coffee
Robo Media
Lockheed Martin
Centene Corporation
Safeway
Lee MacVaugh
Character Development Group
Eileen Santiago
Dr. and Mrs. Paul F. MacVittie
Charmm’d Foundation
Betty Siegel
Macy’s Foundation
Chesapeake Energy Corporation
Shinnyo-en Foundation
Lara Maupin
Jeff Cordes
Shoppers Food & Pharmacy
Joseph Mazzola
Film Clips for Character
Education
Sprint Foundation
Sanford N. McDonnell
Starbucks, N. Beauregard St.
Randall W. McDonnell
Stephen M. Boyd Fund
John F. McGillicuddy
Binky P. Stephenson
McGraw-Hill Companies
Richard Teerlink
Linda McKay
Rising Star Education
National Association for
Self Esteem
Tilbury House Publishers
David Fisher
Free Spirit Publishing
George H. Gallup, Jr.
Giant Foods
Robert Franklin
Barbara Gruener
Charles Haynes
Hermann Foundation
Marilyn Hinton
Herbert Hobler
National Professional
Resources, Inc.
Positive Action
United Airlines
FY 2009
Current Assets
Property & Equipment
Other Assets
Total Assets
Current Liabilities
Fund Balance/Equity
Total Liabilities & Fund Balance
Contributions/Fees
Released Contributions
Other Revenue
Total Revenue
Core Restricted Programs
Unrestricted Programs
Total Expenses
Net Income Gain/Loss
$
$
$
1,484,527
9,929
598,402
$
2,092,858
$
$
135,128
1,957,730
$
2,092,858
$
$
$
1,681,492
220,000
155,089
$
2,056,581
$
$
1,348,710
777,015
$
2,125,725
$
(69,144)
Valley Soap Company
Britain Nicholson
Whole Foods, Old Town
Celeste Robb-Nicholson
Robert C. Woodworth
Oceano De Dios, Utopia
Cruise Line
Hertz Rental Car
2009 ANNUAL REPORT
13
WE TEACH, WE CONNECT, WE INSPIRE
1025 Connecticut Avenue
Suite 1011
Washington, DC 20036
(800) 988-8081
www.character.org
Character Education Partnership
2009 Annual Report