IN THIS ISSUE

Character Op-Ed: The Ethical Implications of Social Networking
Dear CC! How Can I Bring Parents On Board?
Character in the Curriculum: Using Facebook With Literature
Free Teacher Resources: Googling Skills
Commentary by Michael Josephson: The Stuff of Heroes: Eight Laws of Leadership

ON THE SIDE

Announcements
Donuts in the Lunchroom: Tic Talk: Living With Tourette Syndrome Book Review
Resource of the Month: Quotation Mini-Posters
Did You Know? Building a Better Mind
CC! in the News: Teacher’s Accomplishments Make West the Best
Web Poll: Can Schools Afford to Scrap NCLB?
Conference Schedule
Training Programs

New-Look Chronicle 2008

Welcome to a new year and a new-look Chronicle! This month we are rolling out several new sections to give you a broader picture of ethics-related issues in education, a product review column, and a new help section to help sort out your CC! dilemmas.

The Character Op-Ed section tackles a prominent current issue from the perspective of character and ethics. This month we look at the ethics and safety of social-networking sites.

We are introducing a review section, Donuts in the Lunchroom, to highlight products, books, and initiatives that help teach character. This month we review a book written by a child with Tourette syndrome, Tic Talk.

Dear CC! will be a forum where common problems associated with implementation are addressed by the national office staff. One area that is often difficult is getting parents on board in the CC! framework. Learn how to increase parental buy-in with our inaugural article.

There will be more opportunities for readers to comment and interact with the Chronicle, and if you have any ideas, products, or dilemmas you would like us to look at, send them in!

Character Op-Ed

The Ethical Implications of Social Networking

Some of your students probably have one. Perhaps even you have one. But what do you do with it, and how can you use it well?

We’re talking about MySpace.com accounts.

Last August, the number of account holders tipped the 100 million mark, and its chief rival, Facebook.com, has more than 58 million active users. Unfortunately, the massive popularity and proliferation of such social networking sites, which are open to all, have created a deluge of problems from bad (one third of teens in America have been targeted by cyber bullies according to a survey by the Pew Internet American Life Project) to worse (sexual predators use the sites to approach and kidnap youngsters) to unthinkable (disturbing comments on a members’ sites have led some kids to
commit suicide).

The National School Boards Association encourages educators to find ways to take advantage of online social networks because students use them so much.

But are these sites, and others like them, really the hotbeds of vice and crime the media often make them out to be?

The public perception of such sites is far removed from the reality, according to Dr. David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.

During a Senate hearing on online safety in July 2007, Finkelhor told the Senate Commerce Committee that only 5 percent of offenders conceal the fact that they're adults from their victims, 80 percent are explicit about their sexual intentions, just 5 percent of online sex crimes against children involve violence, and only 3 percent entail an abduction. The predominant victims are not young children, but teenagers.

The media’s skewed representation of what’s really happening is stymieing policymakers and other organizations from preventing predatory crimes. The predominant scenarios do not involve adult molesters posing as other children to set up abductions or assaults.

In one case, a teen ran away from home to meet an older man she had encountered online, shared intimate information with, and met on several occasions. Her refusal to cooperate with police allowed the offender to go free. In 73 percent of such crimes, meetings between youngster and offender are numerous. Teens are lured by flattery and by being treated as an adult, something that may not be happening in their life.

"[Students] need to be educated about...why they should be discouraging, not patronizing, sites and people who are doing offensive things online."

The research suggests that preventing such crimes needs to go beyond simply telling children not to post personal information online. More extensive sexual information and advice is necessary.

“They need to be educated about why hooking up with a 32-year-old has major drawbacks like jail, bad press, and public embarrassment and why they should be discouraging, not patronizing, sites and people who are doing offensive things online, fascinating as they seem,” says Finkelhor.

Losing Your License
Even lesser events related to social-networking sites can have serious repercussions, particularly for teachers.

A young teacher-in-training attending Millersville University, Pennsylvania, was told days before graduating that she would not receive her teacher’s license because her MySpace account was deemed inappropriate. Some photographs she had posted showed her as a student drinking what could be construed as alcohol at a party, setting a bad example to students who might see her page if she became a teacher. Just like that, her career went the way of the dot-com bubble.

For that reason, teachers are often warned to stay away from these sites in the aftermath of such high-profile cases.

Some, however, make good use of them to increase communication and improve relationships with their students. The National School Boards Association encourages educators to take advantage of online social networks because students view them so much and because the sites can benefit student-teacher relationships and increase interest in extracurricular activities.

At a music club in a Missouri school, meeting and event attendance increased by 50 to 60 percent after the club created a Facebook profile. Students preferred going there for notifications rather than checking their school e-mail address, which was seen as uncool.

One teacher who uses Facebook to bridge the communication gap between herself and her students said the relationships with some of her students have expanded in ways that never would have happened had their contact been limited to just the classroom. “The students can see from my interests on my profile that I like Eastern philosophy. One of them listed that as an interest too, so we shared thoughts on a topic that would otherwise never have entered our dialog,” wrote Alyssa Giese in a 2007 Teacher Magazine article.

Students also appreciate the informal setting of online communication. One admitted he never would have contributed to class discussions, but the anonymity of online communication emboldened him to participate. That, in turn, changed his teacher’s perception of his discussion abilities.

Others, however, are not so excited.

To Create or Not to Create?
A recent question posed by Teacher Magazine asked its readers if creating a Facebook profile helps communication between teachers and students. One post answered: “Is this question some kind of April Fools’ joke? The individual who came up with this question (and the supervisor who allowed it) needs to go directly to jail, do not pass go, and do not collect two hundred dollars.”

Not all posts were as ingenious, but there is clearly a lack of guidance when it comes to teachers creating profiles, as another reader wrote: “… [it’s] a boundary violation, and hence, unethical.”

Just as children and teens need guidelines on how to use social networking sites and other Internet communication tools, so do teachers. Rather than imposing on our right to free speech, it’s better to mark boundaries for expression that everyone accepts. Educating teachers and students together on the educational benefits of social-networking sites can create a better understanding between them as they explore online communication in a more safe and responsible manner.

Five Safe Ways To Maintain Your Site:

1. What you post isn’t private or temporary. Unless you restrict access to your profile, the information is public and will remain so until you take it down.
2. Don’t post photos or information you wouldn’t want your current or future employer to see.
3. Familiarize yourself with current netiquette, including how to respond to unwelcome comments on your profile or harassment from instant messenger users.
4. If you decide to meet an online contact, tell someone you trust where you’re going and who you’re seeing. Be sure to meet in a public place. If anything happens, someone has information that can help locate you.
5. Educate yourself about the realities of online communication. It isn’t all doom and gloom. If used correctly and responsibly, these sites can have immense educational benefit.

For more information about how to contract a one-day in-service to help your school become more aware, contact the CC! national office at: 1-800-711-2670

Comment on this story in our blog.

"Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." -- St. Francis of Assissi (1181-1221)

Dear CC!

How Can I Bring Parents On Board?

The missing ingredients that are most crucial to the sustained success of a character-education initiative are parents ― busy, hard-to-reach, overprotective parents. Is it worth the effort? Yes!

Creating a positive working relationship with parents and bringing them on board might just be the best move you make all year. Introducing the values of the Six Pillars at home will not only strengthen the CC! framework, it will help parents develop a better relationship with their school, its teachers, and their own children.

One school we know invites all new parents to attend an assembly at the beginning of the school year. Surveys are distributed asking them to reflect on their own modeling of the Six Pillars at home and what areas they need to work on. The anonymous nature of the survey encourages self-reflection rather than lecturing them about how to bring up their children. It also provides them with benchmark vocabulary used at school that can be reinforced at home.

Busy parents appreciate incentives to attend such events. Some schools offer child-care services provided by senior students with adult supervision. Some offer family excursions such as a trip to a ball game or other activities that bring parents and children together. One school even auctions off a flat-screen television! Do whatever it takes to get that valuable support.

Creating a positive working relationship with parents and bringing them on board might just be the best move you make all year.

Although some parents may come across as knowing everything about their child, useful and doable parenting tips are always appreciated. Offering tips in school newsletters that tie in the Six Pillar values will help them focus on the CC! message while helping them address troublespots at home.

Use the Pillar of the Month in your school to help parents talk about key issues at home. An example might be: “This month we’re focusing on Caring. Here are examples you could use to talk with your child.”

Giving parents, and everyone else involved in CC!, a sense of ownership is a proven strategy for creating and maintaining buy-in. There will always be parents who will be available to sit on the CC! committee. Their help in planning will greatly boost interest and participation among other parents and involve them in creating parenting materials that will help reinforce the CC! message at home.

Supporting the school’s discipline system is another area where parents can help. In Nebraska, students who violate a Pillar are given a Re-Teaching Notification that details the area in need of review and what action will be taken. Parents are encouraged to support the school by discussing expectations and applying the Six Pillars. They’re required to sign the notification along with their child. Similar forms are sent home when the child has displayed good character. The letter encourages parents to praise their child and thanks the parents for their support and involvement.

We have samples of the survey and disciplinary forms that we’d be happy to send you. Contact us at: ccnews@jiethics.org.

Visit our resource pages for Pillar of the Month tips and other ideas.

Do you have a CC! dilemma that you need help tackling? Do you have any advice to offer on this month’s topic? Send us your ideas and questions, and we’ll include the best in upcoming issues.

Character in the Curriculum Tips Foundations for Life program offers free writing prompts, lesson plans, and cross-curricular connections based on character-related maxims that complement your existing programs. Learn more about Foundations for Life at www.FFL-essays.org. Monthly Lesson Plan: Using Facebook With Literature This month’s lesson plan is adapted from one created by Brittany Davis, a trainee teacher at the University of Michigan. Using characters from literary texts read in the classroom, students create Facebook profiles and address questions about the text in a private online network. Davis created this lesson as part of a four-week unit at an Ann Arbor high school involving the use of technology. For more ideas from Davis, visit her site. To access the lesson plan, click here. Everyday Ethics > Find free Foundations for Life resources > Purchase Good Ideas books

Googling Skills

How many times have you read reports from your students containing incorrect information because they didn’t bother to double-check their sources? Probably at least once.

Most students know how to use a dictionary, choose reputable text sources, and look up synonyms in their thesaurus. This kind of training is usually given in elementary school to ensure that information is checked and screened for reliability before use.

Those same skills need to be transferred when using online sources. Google UK has come up with an easy-to-follow, step-by-step tutorial to help students increase their search technique expertise.

The tutorial is one of many great resources that can be downloaded from the Google UK site. Take a look and you might even learn something yourself!

Commentary by Michael Josephson

The Stuff of Heroes: Eight Laws of Leadership

Everywhere I go I hear talk about leadership. Schools try to teach leadership skills, and corporations and public agencies devote substantial resources to train executives to be better leaders.

William Cohen, Ph.D. and president of the Institute of Leader Arts, wrote an exceptional book a few years ago called The Stuff of Heroes that isolated eight universal laws of leadership. Here's his list:

1. Maintain absolute integrity.
2. Know your stuff.
3. Declare your expectations.
4. Show uncommon commitment.
5. Expect positive results.
6. Take care of your people.
7. Put duty before self.
8. Get out in front.

While it's important not to discount the importance of competency, communication, commitment, optimism, caring, courage, and duty embraced in laws 2-7, Dr. Cohen asserts that the most indispensable characteristic of a successful leader is integrity.

Real leaders don't depend on the power they get from their formal authority; they rely on moral authority to influence thoughts and actions of others through inspiration, persuasion, trust, and loyalty.

The ultimate test of character is the willingness to do the right thing despite the costs and risks and to do it not with any expectation of approval or advantage, but because it’s the right thing.

In these cynical times, it's easy to think such leadership is unattainable, yet in every community there are hundreds of men and women – parents, teachers, coaches, civic activists – who fit the mold.

We should do a better job of finding and honoring them.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Adapted from Michael Josephson's Gabriel Award-winning radio commentaries, airing every day across the nation.

We welcome your response to the Commentaries. Click on this link to share your thoughts on this one.

Commentary transcripts and audio files are archived here.

Subscribe to the free weekly Commentary newsletter here.

Check Out Our New Virtual Catalog

We are now using an interactive catalog in our online store. It lets users browse our product range by virtual page-turning. If there is a product you want to recommend to a friend or colleague, simply click the “tell a friend about this page” button.

Our newly redesigned print catalog will still be available, but sharing product suggestions is much easier now with our virtual one. Visit our website and experience it for yourself.

View Chronicle archive

Do you have stories to share about character or character education? Please send them to ccnews@jiethics.org. E-mail your photos, too. We can use almost any format.

The Josephson Report Card Is Available

Every two years, Josephson Institute conducts a comprehensive survey of high school youth across the country. The Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth is a great opportunity to find out your students’ self-reported values, attitudes, and ethics-based behavior. Our last survey in 2006 included 35,000 students across the nation.

It's Free
We’re signing up high schools for the 2008 survey. Just for having your students fill out the survey, you’ll receive a comprehensive and confidential report of your students’ results.

It's Easy
You let us know you’d like to take part and tell us how many students you have. We mail you the survey forms, which your students can fill out in 20 minutes. You send the surveys back to us, using prepaid mailing labels we provide. We scan the surveys and mail you a detailed report of your students’ results side-by-side with the national figures. That’s it!

It's Confidential
This survey is a great way to better understand the values, attitudes, and behaviors of your students and identify areas in which they are doing well or need your attention. We will publish the national results, but not those of any individual school. Confidentiality is ensured.

Knowledge is the key to character. Click here to sign up!

2008 Open Enrollment Calendar

We are pleased to announce our Character Development Seminar training schedule for 2008. Each three-day seminar is designed as a train-the-trainer conference, enabling participants to return to their communities and begin CC! implementation.

We recommend that you schedule time to help your graduates present the program upon their return with the help of our training materials. Further support is provided by the national office.

Who to Send?
We also recommend sending at least 5-10 percent of your school to the training so that a wide range of personnel, faculty, and others who interact with your youth will be versed in the methodology.

Packed with information about the CHARACTER COUNTS! framework and other initiatives from Josephson Institute, the CDS is both challenging and rewarding. The seminars are led by two highly qualified members of the CC! national faculty who facilitate thought-provoking activities and discussions.

Each component of the training is designed to help attendees plan every stage of their CC! initiative – from developing a CC! action team to weaving the Six Pillars of Character into the curriculum to measuring progress.

Participants receive a spiral-bound book containing key slides and activities, a CD-ROM with sample presentations for businesses and schools, a copy of the CHARACTER COUNTS! Implementation Toolkit, and resources and guidance for curricular integration and making ethical decisions.

How Can We Fund It?
If there isn’t a CDS scheduled in your area, contact our national office and ask about commissioning your own. This option is particularly attractive to those who have larger teams. Funding can come from such sources as:

• Title I and II – Professional Development
• Title IV – Safe and Drug Free Schools
• Grants (federal partnerships in Education,     Safe Schools/Healthy Schools)
• Business sponsorships

Make it your New Year’s resolution to make character count in your community.

Tic Talk: Living with Tourette Syndrome

Tic Talk: Living with Tourette Syndrome (Little Five Star, 2007, 50 pages) is a firsthand account by a remarkable young boy named Dylan Peters of his struggle with the social stigma surrounding his Tourette syndrome, an inherited neurological disorder characterized by physical and vocal tics. The book is written for other children, and the language is simple and conversational.

Peters begins his story at age four when he was diagnosed with the condition. He describes his tics, which include head jerking, rapid blinking, and twitching, and explains his frustration and anxiety about being unable to control his body.

Peters and his family choose to keep his diagnosis a secret at first, but as time passes, his spasms worsen. In the third grade, he summons the courage to announce to his peers what he has. To his surprise and delight, none of his friends treat him any differently.

Tic Talk could be a valuable classroom resource for curbing teasing by teaching students to empathize with one another. Although Dylan Peters’s story is specifically about a particular condition, his message of tolerance is universal.

Quotation Mini-Posters

Quotation mini-poster sets challenge your students to ponder life and the world around them. These dynamic messaging system mini-posters display profound quotations against colorful backdrops.

Use these thoughts to integrate character education into lesson plans by encouraging thoughtful writing and discussion. Activity ideas included. Purchase securely online.

Are you innovating with our resources? Share your ideas and we'll publish them here. E-mail us at ccnews@jiethics.org.

All proceeds benefit CHARACTER COUNTS! and the nonprofit Josephson Institute.

Building a Better Mind

For many people, remembering simple things, like names of people you’re introduced to, can be quite challenging. But mental slips are socially hazardous because they’re often mistaken for disinterest or thoughtlessness. Society has no sympathy for minds like wire cages. It prefers steel traps.

Memory used for temporarily storing and manipulating information, like remembering a name while carrying on a conversation, is called working memory. Its capacity varies from person to person and is associated with intelligence.

The concept originated in the 1960s, but recent advances in technology, such as functional MRI, in which magnetic resonance imaging is used to map brain function, are helping scientists pinpoint parts of the brain that are active when our working memory is utilized. This has led to a better understanding of the relationship between working memory, cognitive disorders, and learning ability.

Earlier this month, Swedish researchers at the Karolinksa Institute reported that our ability to filter irrelevant information, like talking about the weather, directly affects our capacity for working memory. Individuals who store only relevant information have more head room, so to speak, to engage simultaneously in other mental tasks.

Are you a wire-cage brain who admits too many distractors? Fear not. Studies show that working memory can be improved through brain training. A company called Cogmed has developed software that features visual and verbal working-memory exercises.

Torkel Klingberg, Ph.D. Karolinska Institute researcher and Cogmed’s scientific advisor, believes such training can help those with serious neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders, particularly the millions of children affected by ADHD.

On SharpBrains.com, Klingberg cited 1,200 children who were trained in Cogmed's Stockholm Clinic. He was quoted as saying “the most common effects are sustained attention, better impulse control, and improved learning ability.” He also found that working-memory training improved reasoning ability.

These and other studies challenge us to reassess the way we treat those who exhibit absent-minded, inattentive, or hyperactive behavior. Yes, our brains can be upgraded.

So that wire cage of yours is really a solid framework for building a strong and lasting steel trap.

Teacher’s Accomplishments Make West the Best

Mary Jo Enyeart is one of the great ambassadors for CC!, so we were thrilled to learn when the teacher received the Community Leadership Award from the Metropolitan Lodge of Downey Masonic Temple for making West Middle School in Downey, CA, one of the best schools in the area.

Not only does she tirelessly promote CC! in her school and district, but she consistently provides us with excellent feedback on our pilot products and resources. Read more about her achievements at the West Middle School website.

Congratulations Mary Jo!

Legislators in Minnesota are planning to take a stand against the federal government this month by introducing a bill that would end the state’s participation in No Child Left Behind.

Can public schools afford to shirk the demands of NCLB and forfeit federal funds?

Yes or No.

Respond and see the results.

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Josephson Institute is working to create a world where decisions and behavior are guided by ethics.