The 15th annual Summer Institute in Character Education, “Maximizing the Power of Character for Teaching and Learning,” hosted by the Center for the 4th and 5th Rs and IEE, was held June 29 – July 1 at the Sperry Center at SUNY Cortland. Over 140 teachers, administrators, and staff attended from 14 different states and 3 foreign countries (China, Nigeria, and Puerto Rico). General sessions were delivered by Michele Borba, Usha Balamore, Hal Urban, and our own Tom, Matt D., Rich and Phil. Matt C. provided valuable assistance with triad planning and discussion. Vlad, along with Mary Guilfoile, of The Glenholme School in CT, presented a session on Monday, “Using Data to Plan and Improve Your Character Education Program.” Eight different lunch-time workshops were offered on both Tuesday and Wednesday, and Vitamin L performed an upbeat, inspirational concert on Tuesday.
Tom did a Bonus Session on “Power to Parent,” Matt a Bonus Session on “Power to Coach.” All general sessions and several workshops were videotaped by students from Cortland High School’s Video Club. Dawn Van Hall of the College’s Sperry Center is making DVDs of the general sessions and the workshop by Vlad and Mary. The Center will send copies to each school team or individual that participated and will also upload videos of the sessions, the bonus sessions, and selected workshops onto our website.
