School Safety Summit will help educators find REAL solutions for risk reduction, crisis management

WASHINGTON - Sept. 30, 2013 - PRLog -- From horrific school shootings to the disturbing and sometimes tragic consequences of peer bullying, the complex epidemic of violence in schools is at the forefront of societal concerns today. With this in mind, the Character Education Partnership is presenting a day-long workshop on Oct. 24, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.at the Washington Renaissance Hotel. Participants will gain a greater understanding of the issues involved, interact with experts in the field, and leave with a wealth of new strategies and resources to take back to their schools.

“We all recognize that there is an unprecedented level of real fear in the education workplace today,” said Mark Hyatt, President & CEO of the Character Education Partnership. “But we believe that a pro-active approach that emphasizes social-emotional learning, bullying prevention, empathy and school climate can go a long way toward improving school safety, as well as myriad other measures of student success.”

Already, much is known about what works well in this arena. So why are not more of us adopting these best practices and implementing them in their schools? This day-long workshop will address that question and several others via seven different perspectives from a cadre of nationally known experts. They will examine school safety as it relates to building security, students, teachers, parents, the courts and more:

John L. Barry, former superintendent of Aurora (CO) Public Schools, “Schools Crisis Management”;
Michele Borba, best-selling author, bullying prevention expert, “12 Crucial Keys for School Safety”;
Charles Elbot, former principal, school culture expert, “Practical Applications from an Administrator”;
David Esquith, U.S. Dept of Education, Office of Safe and Healthy Students, “On Federal Support”;
David Osher, vice president, American Institute of Research, “Mental Health is Key”;
Rick Phillips, author, founder of Community Matters, “Student Engagement is Essential”;
Irene Sullivan, Circuit Court judge, author, juvenile justice expert, “Support from the Courts.”

This workshop’s goals are to share key findings and best practices, spur discussion, assist participants in building safety action plans for their schools, and to provide helpful resources for improving school culture and climate. Its aim is to help attendees confront this national fear and to conquer it with renewed energy, confidence and imagination in their respective workplaces. The workshop fee is $125 as a stand-alone event, or $75 with registration for CEP’s 20^th Annual National Forum of Character Education, which immediately follows Oct. 25-27. For more details and to register, please visit www.character.org/conference

Character Education Partnershipis a national advocate and leader for the character education movement. Based in Washington, DC, CEP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian coalition of organizations and individuals committed to fostering effective character education in our nation’s schools. CEP provides the vision, leadership and resources for school, families and communities to develop ethical citizens committed to building a just and caring world. For more information about State and National Schools of Character (http://www.character.org/schools-of-character/) and how schools can improve through high-quality character education, visit www.character.org.