The Character Education Partnership (CEP) is a national advocate and leader for the character
education movement. Based in Washington, D.C., they are a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian coalition of organizations and individuals committed to fostering effective character education in our nation's K-12 schools.
CEP is an umbrella organization for character education, serving as the leading resource for people and organizations that are integrating character education into their schools and communities. CEP focuses on defining and encouraging effective practices and approaches to quality character education and provides a forum for the exchange of ideas.
In partnership with CEP the Institute for Character Development (ICD) serves as the state of Iowa sponsor for the State Schools of Character Awards (SSOC). The purpose of the SSOC is to identify, honor, and showcase exemplars in character education and facilitate their leadership in mentoring others. The application process is centered on the Standards of Effective Character Education. All state applicants are reviewed by an advisory committee facilitated by the ICD. State sponsors send the best applicants on to the National Schools of Character Competition (NSOC). Winners of the NSOC competition receive stipends to help them provide outreach to other educators.
Application Eligibility
To be eligible for the 2010 Awards, a school must have been engaged in character education for a minimum of three full years starting no later than December 2006.
Application Process
Complete Application Materials can be found at
www.character.org/nsocapplicationprocess
Recognition
SOC Award Winners will receive a SSOC Award Banner and will be recognized at the Iowa Character Awards Banquet in October of 2010.
Questions
Contact Eric Martin, Director of Outreach eric.martin@drake.edu 515.271.1910
Past SSOC Award Winners
2008
Price Lab School (National Finalist) www.pls.uni.edu/
Pocahontas Area Community School District www.pocahontas.k12.ia.us/
2007
Urbandale High School www.urbandaleschools.com/
Cornell Elementary (Saydell District), www.saydel.k12.ia.us/Cornell.htm
Okoboji Community School District, www.okoboji.k12.ia.us/
Price Lab School (National Finalist) www.pls.uni.edu/
Promising Practices Overview
As part of the National/State Schools of Character awards program, the Character Education Partnership (CEP) gives annual Promising Practices awards to schools
and districts in the United States and elsewhere for implementing unique and
specific strategies in character education. Selected schools and districts receive an award certificate at the Promising Practices Awards Ceremony at the CEP National Forum on Character Education. In addition, a description of their winning practices appears in the National Schools of Character annual publication and on CEP's website. See Promising Practices award application.
If your school or district has developed and successfully implemented a unique practice, CEP encourages you to apply for a Promising Practices award. We are not looking for a description of your whole character education program, but rather for a specific practice or aspect of your program that other schools may learn from and even replicate. For more information on the Promising Practices go to www.character.org/promisingpracticesoverview
For more information on the Promising Practices Awards, contact Lara Maupin at CEP 202-296-7746, ext 28 or lmaupin@character.org.
