1. Character Counts! By: Elle Parsons and Mackenzie Quartly

2. Learning Targets History of Character Counts Coalition Mission Statement Six Pillars of Character Implementation and Resources Professional Development Conclusion

3. History of Josephson Institute Developed in 1987 Founder: Michael Josephson Josephson Institute Josephson Institute has conducted programs for leaders, school administrators, journalists, and corporate officials

4. History of Character Counts Coalition Developed in 1992 Founded due to the Josephson Institute who hosted a group of experts in ethics and character education. Developed ‘Aspen Declaration on Character Education’ which has been re-named ‘Six Pillars of Character’ To advance the Six Pillars Josephson Institute launched Character Counts!

5. Mission Statement “ To improve the ethical quality of society by changing personal and organizational decision making and behavior.” Achieve social and emotional learning goals Improve academics Focus classroom management skills Reduce incidents of bullying, and much more

6. Six Pillars Overview Not affiliated with any religious, cultural or political groups Based on 6 ethical values that everyone can agree upon Trustworthiness Respect Responsibility Fairness Caring Citizenship

7. Trustworthiness Be honest Don’t deceive, cheat or steal Be reliable, do what you say you’ll do Have the courage to do the right thing Build a good reputation Be loyal, stand by your family friends and country

8. Respect Treat others with respect, follow the golden rule Be tolerant and accepting of differences Use good manners, not bad language Be considerate of the feelings of others Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone Deal peacefully with anger, insults, and disagreements

9. Responsibility Do what you are supposed to do Plan ahead Persevere: keep on trying! Always do your best Use self-control Be self-disciplined Think before you act — consider the consequences Be accountable for your words, actions, and attitudes Set a good example for others

10. Fairness Play by the rules Take turns and share Be open-minded; listen to others Don’t take advantage of others Don’t blame others carelessly Treat all people fairly

11. Caring Be kind Be compassionate and show you care Express gratitude Forgive others Help people in need

12. Citizenship Do your share to make your school and community better Cooperate Get involved in community affairs Stay informed; vote Be a good neighbor Obey laws and rules Respect authority Protect the environment Volunteer

13. Six Pillars Mnemonic Help young people remember the Pillars by using these creative devices. COLOR SCHEME Trustworthiness : blue Think "true blue" Respect : yellow/gold Think the Golden Rule Responsibility : green Think being responsible for a garden or finances; or as in being solid and reliable like an oak Fairness : orange Think of dividing an orange into equal sections to share fairly with friends Caring : red Think of a heart Citizenship : purple Think regal purple as representing the state

14. Implementing Six Pillars Teachers or key staff members attend training Implemented through a variety of: Lesson plans Support materials Curricular integration models Designed to integrate into current curriculums Not a stand alone program Free and for purchase materials and lesson plans online

15. Professional Development $825 for enrollment in a 3-day training Trainings currently held in California, Illinois, and Arizona Free webinar weekly with varying topics

16. Conclusion - Strengths If purchased the lessons are prepared for you Lessons are short Opportunity to embed Six Pillars into preexisting curriculum Can appeal to many because it isn’t affiliated with other groups

17. Conclusion – Weaknesses Geared toward children but some sub-topics are advanced Expensive to implement Difficult to research without going to the 3-day training

18. Discussion Questions How do you feel about the chosen ‘Six Pillars of Character?’ Does it fit most school models? Anything that you would add? Eliminate? Any other strengths or weaknesses that stood out to you? If you could only teach one Pillar, which would you choose? Why?

19. Resources Character Counts Coalition Website http://charactercounts.org/