Advocacy Group Recognizes Lyles-Crouch as a 'National School of Character'

The Character Education Partnership has named Old Town’s as a National School of Character.

The Alexandria public school received the 2012 Virginia School of Character award in January, and is one of 24 schools to earn national recognition.

“Becoming a National School of Character is a process, not a program, that entails the members of the school community—parents, students and staff—continuously reflecting, refocusing and redirecting their collective efforts to build strong character among the school’s entire constituency,” said Patricia Zissios, principal of Lyles-Crouch. “We are enthralled by the recognition, but are also acutely aware of the goal to always do more.”

To be recognized, the school had to clearly demonstrate that it successfully follows 11 principles of effective character education and provides a supportive school culture for all students.

The 11 principles are:

1. The school community promotes core ethical and performance values as the foundation of good character.
2. The school defines “character” comprehensively to include thinking, feeling and doing.
3. The school uses a comprehensive, intentional and proactive approach to character development.
4. The school creates a caring community.
5. The school provides students with opportunities for moral action.
6. The school offers a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that respects all learners, develops their character and helps them to succeed.
7. The school fosters students’ self-motivation.
8. The school staff is an ethical learning community that shares responsibility for character education and adheres to the same core values that guide the students.
9. The school fosters shared leadership and long-range support of the character education initiative.
10. The school engages families and community members as partners in the character-building effort.
11. The school regularly assesses its culture and climate, the functioning of its staff as character educators, and the extent to which its students manifest good character.

Character Education Partnership annually selects schools and districts that demonstrate, through an evaluation process, that their focus on character development has a positive impact on academic achievement, student behavior and school climate. Selected schools are then expected to serve as models for other schools, helping them to achieve the same results.

The partnership will honor the 2012 National Schools of Character at the National Forum on Character Education, to be held in November in Washington, D.C., where the school will receive an National School of Character award, banner and a small grant to help with outreach efforts.