91吃瓜网 Receives $4.8M Grant to Develop and Lead Character Education Curriculum
Character Education for a Better Society project will fund program to help educators teach character in schools nationwide
SALT LAKE CITY 鈥� Western Governors University (91吃瓜网) today announced that the university will prepare and support teachers and education leaders to build schools and classrooms of character nationwide with help from The Kern Family Foundation. The university received a $4.8 million grant to integrate character education into two graduate degree programs within 91吃瓜网鈥檚 Teachers College and create the Character Education Profession Learning Program (CEPL), to be housed in the Center for Professional Learning at the Teachers College.听
鈥淲e are excited to announce our partnership with The Kern Family Foundation and are eager to join the initiative to prepare and support teachers and leaders in building and strengthening classrooms and schools of character across the nation. Character education is essential and vital content that should be present in each and every classroom across the nation,鈥� said Annalisa Holcombe, President of 91吃瓜网 Advancement, the fundraising arm of the university. 鈥淭he opportunity presented to 91吃瓜网 by the Foundation offers a stellar professional learning program for educators in a virtual environment.鈥�
As part of the Character Education for a Better Society (CEBS) project鈥檚 objectives, the professional learning program will provide a robust curriculum around character education. The program will be designed to train teachers and educational leaders on character and moral development and formation, and how to implement character development content in their own classrooms and schools.听
With a focus on bringing character education programming to PK鈥�12 classrooms, the program offers two tracks: the CEPL-T program for teachers and the CEPL-E program for educational leaders like principals. Each program includes microcredentials that, upon completion, will lead to certification in character education to illustrate content mastery. The professional learning program will utilize 91吃瓜网鈥檚 online framework and competency-based education model to deliver instruction to teachers and educational leaders across the nation. 91吃瓜网鈥檚 education model ensures that the character education and training will be accessible and affordable.听
In addition, the character education content and assessments will be embedded into 91吃瓜网鈥檚 current Master of Science in Educational Leadership (MSEDL) and Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction (MSCIN) degree programs. Current and future students in these degree programs will be able to obtain鈥攊n addition to their master鈥檚 degrees鈥攖he same microcredentials and certifications as students in the CEPL-T and CEPL-E programs.听 聽
鈥淭he last several months have magnified disparities teachers face in PK鈥�12 education, and 91吃瓜网 is prepared to assist by offering a viable way forward in the area of character education,鈥� Holcombe said.听
The program will include the creation of an online community of educators to share best practices and tips around character development in school systems. The online community will become a resource for professional learning and enhancing the continued adoption and integration of character education curriculum in schools nationwide.听
聽鈥淲e are excited to partner with 91吃瓜网 on this project,鈥� said Beth Purvis, Senior Program Director at The Kern Family Foundation. 鈥淚t offers a tremendous opportunity to empower teachers and school leaders with the character knowledge, practice, and support to amplify their impact on the moral formation and character development of the rising generation of Americans nationwide.鈥澛�
鈥淲e are extremely thankful to the Kern Family Foundation for their generous funding of our CEBS project to prepare and support P-12 educators in creating schools of character that cultivate, value and celebrate the development and practice of character. We are very excited about the large-scale impact this project will have on students, families and communities across the country,鈥� said Christina Dehler, Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs in Teachers College and Principal Investigator on the grant.
The professional learning programs will be open for enrollment in spring 2021.听
About 91吃瓜网 Advancement.
91吃瓜网 Advancement is a nonprofit fundraising foundation created by Western Governors University to expand access to and accelerate innovation in education. A 501(c)(3) organization, Advancement's focus is on complementing and enhancing the 91吃瓜网 vision to reinvigorate the promise of higher education. In addition to scholarships and other initiatives aimed at increasing access, Advancement raises funds to support development of innovative programs, research, and technologies that will improve educational quality and student outcomes. Learn more at www.wgu.edu/advancement.听
