The Hanover Park Regional High School District has been named a 2013 National District of Character by the Character Education Partnership, as well as a 2013 NJ State District of Character by the The New Jersey Alliance for Social and Emotional Character Development.
What is Character Education?
"Character education is the deliberate effort to help young people understand, care about, and act upon core ethical values... we want [students] to be able to judge what is right, care deeply about what is right, and then do what they believe to be right—even in the face of pressure from without and temptation from within" - Dr. Thomas Lickona
As teachers we perform character education on a daily basis—in the behavior we model, the conduct we tolerate, the deeds we encourage, and expectations we set forth. We do character education by default, the intention now is to do it by design, collaborating and incorporating strategies that can be used consistently throughout the school community. It's important to understand that Character Education is not an all-or-nothing enterprise. Meaningful character building experiences can be integrated and implemented in a variety of small, yet significant ways.
One of the main by-products of character education is the improvement of the overall school climate. It helps make the school a positive place to be, and as a result students are more motivated and able do their best. Research shows that character education is positively correlated with academic achievement.
"In schools of character, adults embrace their critical role as models. Teachers work together as professionals—and with parents and community members as partners—to positively shape the social, emotional, and character development of the young people entrusted to them each day. As a result, students in these schools feel safe, respected, and connected to those around them, allowing them to thrive academically and socially and be motivated to give back to their communities."(excerpt from the Character Education Partnership website)
