NEWS YOU CAN USE
News & Notes for those who care and share!
•References •Resources •Research •Ramblings
Issue One -2016
CHARACTER MATTERS
Ed DeRoche, Director
University of San Diego
Character Development Center
THE BUSINESS OF CHARACTER
Fred Kiel, (2015), Return On Character: The Real Reason Leaders and their
Companies Win, Harvard Business Review Press.
Kiel & his partners at KRW International spent seven years researching CEOs and
their employees and reports on "solid data that demonstrates the connection
between character, leadership excellence, and organizational results."
Kiel reminds the reader that a CEO’s character and the character of his/her
executive team plays an important role in a company’s culture and success.
Tom Hill, (2010), Making Character First: Building a Culture of Character in Any
Organization. Edmond, OK: Character First Publishers.
Hill’s book describes a company’s “turnaround” story.
As the 20-year CEO of Kimray, Inc., Hill documents how a “values-based
management system” changed the culture and production of his company.
His success in establishing a “culture of character,” led Hill to create a
“character-first program” that others could and should use.
He says, “character is a leadership issue that begins at the top.”
His program and experiences suggests that a “culture of character” is about
“relationships, trust, loyalty, and about recognizing good behavior and
praising it.” (www.characterfirst.com).
James C. Maxwell, (2013), Sometimes You WIN and Sometimes You LOSE/LEARN. NY:
Center Street Publishers.
The story of this book is in its sub-title: Life’s Greatest Lessons Are Gained From
Our Loses. With a “Forward” by Coach John Wooden who writes: These pages offer
more than just a how-to manual for getting through difficult times: they offer the most
valuable gift of all: hope,” the reader will find each chapter filled with lessons,
suggestions, quotes, examples, behavior principles, and an emphasis on how
positive character traits can and should be learned.
For example, there is a chapter titled “Humility: The Spirit on learning. “
Another that addresses Reality: The Foundation of learning.
Another focuses on Improvement “The Focus of learning. (Italics are mine).
JohnMaxwellOnLeadership.com
Sidebar (a newspaper term): Educator Mike Smoker just published a book on the “focus”
theme: Leading with FOCUS: Elevating the Essentials for School and District Improvement,
published by ASCD (shop.ascd.org).
‘
ABOUT CALIFORNIA
+++ This State has over 6.2 million students in 10,000 schools.
Los Angeles alone has over 1.5 million students—almost 10 times more students
than in Rhode Island schools. 500,000 CA students are in charter school, growing
annually by about 10%. The State is facing a serious teaching shortage. (M.
Ferguson, Kappan, Oct 12, 2015)
+++ Do you want to know how The State Department of Education describes the
role of character education in public schools? Here it is.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/yd/ce/charactered.asp?print=yes
+++ A new state law in effect this year requires all California public school students
to take sex education beginning in seventh grade. Parents who don’t want their kids
to learn about issues like body image, contraception and HIV awareness and
prevention will have to formally opt out by submitting a document to their school or
district. The law, called the California Healthy Youth Act, attempts to standardize
and update sex education in the State.
PUTTING TESTING TO THE TEST
Question of the day? Are students are being over tested?
The Council of the Great City Schools examined test practices in 66 of the U.S.'s
largest urban school districts during the 2014-15 school year.
What did they find?
 The average student took eight standardized tests a year.
 Between PK-12th grades, eighth graders were tested the most, spending an
average of 4.22 days testing per year.
 There was no correlation between the amount of test time and math and reading
achievement.
 States reported having to wait 2-4 months for school-level test results. This delay
prevented test results from being useful in guiding instruction, as did the fact that
most states administer tests in the spring, so results weren't received until the
school year had ended. -- Researchers found that test results were used in ways
they weren't intended to be, as in judging an individual staff member's
performance when they were designed to measure school and district
performance.
-- Tests were often redundant… and not an accurate measure of students' content
knowledge.
-- A parent survey revealed that they support testing that accurately reflects their
child's performance in school, and that they do not support more difficult tests.
BREAKING NEWS
++ Teachers-Attention—Character Matters Essay Contest—two months to go.
http://www.sandiego.edu/soles/centers-and-research/character-developmentcenter/essay-contest.php
++ You will find the 2016 Character Matters Conference “Save the Date” link at
https://www.sandiego.edu/soles/centers-and-research/characterdevelopment-center/
Five Undeniable Facts of Life
bhfilms3@aol.com, October 11, 2015.
1. Don't educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be happy. When they grow up, they
will know the value of things and not the price.
2. The ones who truly love you will never leave you because -- even if there are 100 reasons to
give up --they will find one reason to hold on.
3. There is a big difference between a human being and being human. Only a few really
understand it.
4. You are loved when you are born. You will be loved when you die. In between, You have to
manage!
5. If you just want to walk fast, walk alone! But if you want to walk far, walk together!
What IS BEST FOR YOUR HEALTH? (from the Six Best Doctors in the World)
bhfilms3@aol.com, October 11, 2015.
 Sunlight
 Rest
 Exercise
 Diet
 Self Confidence
 Friends
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