National Schools of Character

CEP's National Schools of Character program, commonly referred to as our "flagship" program, is designed to help schools improve in many ways through comprehensive character education.  We evaluate schools on how well they implement our 11 Principles of Effective Character Education, and those who do so in an exemplary way are recognized as National Schools of Character (NSOC).  (For more detail about the program, you can check out CEP's website for more information.)

On Thursday, I was lucky enough to go on a site-visit to Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy, a school in Alexandria, VA that's applying to be a 2012 NSOC.  I hadn't been in an elementary school for years before visiting Lyles-Crouch, but it was still clear to me that it's a great school.  This school, which had been the city's school for black children during segregation, has come so far and is now a high-performing school that parents, teachers, and students (of all races) love.  It was great to see, in person, the impact that CEP is having on schools like Lyles-Crouch throughout the country.  While I know I don't want to stay in the education sector forever, I do feel like I'm a part of something great.