CCSR Represents at the 2012 National Forum on Character Education
By Samantha Rabinowicz, Professional Development Coordinator for the Center for Character and Social Responsibility
The 2012 National Forum on Character Education took place in Washington, D.C. from Nov 1 – 4, 2012. In addition to the diverse and experienced keynote speakers, I attended several breakout sessions. Of them all, I found the following to be the most informative and meaningful: In Youth We Trust with Cathryn Berger Kaye, Federal Policy and Character Education with Jon Terry, Developing the Culture, Competencies and Positive Behavior Needed to Enhance Academic Achievement with Matthew Davidson and a hot topic discussion on Why is Character Education an Effective Tool for Transforming Climate? with Phil Brown and Jonathan Cohen. The hot topic discussion touched on the theme of school culture and climate, a subject we emphasize at the Center. The group discussion forced me to reflect on my own classroom climate/culture and tools I can use to create a positive, safe, and effective culture within my own classroom and school at large. In addition, I represented the Center for Character and Social Responsibility (CCSR) at a discussion emphasizing the Partnerships in Character Education Partnerships (CEP). I felt it was a tremendous learning experience, representing not only the CCSR but Massachusetts’ teachers as well. Please reach out for further information on the takeaways of the Conference.
