The Character Education Partnership is gearing up for its 8th National Forum beginning Thursday, October 18 at the Marriott Tech Center, 4900 S. Syracuse St.

The conference will feature full-day and half-day visits to four Colorado schools - including three in Denver Public Schools.

Participants may visit Columbine Elementary School in Woodland Park (west of Colorado Springs) for a full-day look at a "National School of Character."

Participants may also choose between a half-day visit to Slavens Elementary School (3000 S. Clayton St.) or a half-day visit to both Ebert Elementary School (410 Park Ave. West) and Columbine Elementary School (2540 E. 29th Ave.). Slavens has also been awarded the recognition as a "National School of Character."

The national forum will explore "The Other Side of the Report Card" - character-related traits such as "accepts responsibility," "shows self control," and "works well with others" - that are not as easily captured by the current trend toward data-based analysis of academic performance.

Keynote speakers at the forum will include:

• Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, an award-winning author and sociologist - "Will Anybody Know Who I am? On Witness, Justice And Respect." She examines the culture of schools, the patterns and structures of classroom life, and the relationships between culture and learning styles.
  
• Eli Newberger, a Harvard Medical School pediatrician and founder of the Child Protection Team and Family Development Program at Boston's Children's Hospital - "The Core of Character in Boys And Girls." Newberger's book, The Men They Will Become: The Nature and Nurture of Male Character has been hailed as a groundbreaking formulation of the essence of character-development.
  
• Eric Shaps, the founder and president of the Developmental Studies Center in Oakland, California - "On The Road To High-Quality Character Education - Big Threats And Opportunities." Shaps is the author of three books and president of the CEP Board of Directors.

A series of breakout sessions and workshops will cover such topics as "The Essential Connection - Academics And Character," "Dynamic Reflection: The Heart Of Service-Learning," and "Teacher Authority, Student Autonomy, and Moral Decision-Making."

Registration will be available beginning at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 18. The conference will run through a lunch program on Saturday, October 20. Teachers, principals, administrators, counselors, community members, and parents are all welcome to attend.

"The Columbine High School and the World Trade Center and the Pentagon tragedies remind us of the destructive force of hatred," said Robin Johnston, Chair, Caring Communities Build Character. "As we come together in Denver, our mission is to help our young people rise above the forces of hatred and to build ever stronger the forces of love, caring, and respect."

For more information on the forum, please call the Character Education Partnership in Baltimore, Maryland: 800-988-8081 or 202-296-7743 (ext. 17). Fax: 202-296-7779.