LSU AgCenter 4-H Character Development is joining 26 other state organizations in sponsoring 2010 State Schools of Character Awards. 

-- State Schools of Character (SSOC) awards are an extension of the National Schools of Character (NSOC) program sponsored by the Character Education Partnership (CEP) in Washington, D.C. The mission of the LSU AgCenter’s Cooperative Extension Service is to help the people of Louisiana improve their lives through an educational process which uses research-based knowledge focused on issues and needs. The 4-H Youth Development program strives to enhance the knowledge and life skills achieved in youth, enabling them to become positive, productive, capable and compassionate members of their communities. To learn more about the LSU AgCenter visit www.lsuagcenter.com.

Since 1998, CEP has annually recognized approximately 10 public and private schools and districts (K-12) as National Schools of Character. Winners of the national award receive a financial grant to enhance their work in character education and to share their expertise with others. In 2006, CEP launched the State Schools of Character (SSOC) project with state sponsors offering SSOC awards. The purpose of both the national and state awards is to identify outstanding schools and districts to serve as models for other schools and districts seeking to improve their character education efforts.

SSOC win an award from the state sponsor and the opportunity to move forward to the NSOC competition. The state-level awards have proved an effective means of enhancing character education initiatives in participating states. By identifying exemplary sites on the state level, the SSOC project helps to develop a state-level mentoring network among educators. CEP and state sponsors use the same criteria to judge applications: CEP’s Character Education Quality Standards. The deadline for the SSOC/NSOC applications is December 1, 2009.

Dr. Phil Brown, director of the Center for Social and Character Development at Rutgers University, speaks for New Jersey, which had 20 applications in 2009, more than any other state. He says, “One of the unexpected benefits of the State Schools of Character program is that it serves as a way to identify pockets of excellent practice, which enables us to enrich the quality of professional networking across the state.”

CEP will honor the 2009 NSOC winners at its National Forum on Character Education on October 29-31 in the Washington, D.C. area (www.character.org). CEP highlights the winners’ stories in an annual NSOC publication and on CEP’s Web site.

The SSOC/NSOC application process is rigorous, requiring extensive reporting, documentation and assessment of each school's or district’s culture, academics and efforts to infuse core values into every aspect of school life. Winners represent an array of programs in service learning, bullying prevention, mentoring and tolerance. Winners’ assessments of the results within their schools provide evidence that quality character education impacts not only academics but also social and emotional learning.

The Character Education Partnership, based in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit, nonpartisan nonsectarian coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to helping schools develop people of good character for a just and compassionate society. CEP is the nation’s leading advocate for quality character education initiatives. To learn more about CEP and the National Schools of Character, visit www.character.org.