Mechanisms for Change Conference

7th Annual Mechanisms for Change Conference
Connecting With Character

Pictures from the Conference!

The seventh annual Mechanisms for Change Conference was held on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 at the Radisson Hotel Sacramento.

The purpose of this year’s conference was to promote the effective and research proven use of character education in California's schools. As we raise the expectation for a quality education for all students, schools and their community partners must work differently to achieve the desired academic and citizenship results. This year's conference focused on connecting character-based approaches with our state's current equity and reform priorities.

200 K-12 educator leaders, district leadership staff, school board members, business and community partners, and youth leaders attended this year's conference. The Center for Youth Citizenship (CYC) was pleased to host Dr. Kevin Ryan, Director Emeritus of Boston University's Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character, as this year’s keynote speaker. His keynote address Teaching the Habits: Character Education's Missing Link was both humorous and insightful.

The conference was emceed by Priscilla Cox, Elk Grove Unified School District Board Member and CPCE Statewide Advisory Committee member, and opened with a special presentation of America the Beautiful, sung by Gus Lease, CTA Liaison and CPCE Statewide Advisory Committee member. This was followed by a presentation on Ensuring Equity and Closing the Achievement Gap by Dr. Alice Furry, Chief Executive Officer, Reading Lions Center. Dr. Furry's presentation prefaced the Panel Discussion on Major Trends in Education: The Character-Based Connection. Guest panelists included:

Lawrence Brown, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, U. S. Attorney’s Office
David Gordon, Superintendent, Sacramento County Office of Education
Kathi Cooper, Former Associate Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District
Mary Jane Pearson, Secretary’s Regional Representative – Region 9,
U.S. Department of Education
David Sanchez, Vice President, California Teachers Association

Panelists provided national, state and regional/local perspectives on the importance of character and citizenship education for schools and communities and its relationship to academic success for all students.

Workshop sessions held through out the day were focused around the six components of a whole-school approach to character-based citizenship: Plan & Structure; School Climate & Culture; Curriculum & Instruction; Assessment & Accountability; Leadership Development and Outreach & Connections.

Session I workshops included:

The Power of Positive Leaders - Tim Dakin
Reading Takes Character ~ Curriculum Connections - Lynette Dilley
School-Site Culture: Building Respectful Relationships and Collaboration Through Effective Communication - Ken Hawkins
Same-Page Dialogues: Strategies for Collaboration - Debbie Arakel
Brain Research & Character Education - Dr. Jim Neil, Judge Barry Loncke & Kris Halverson
Evaluating Character-Based Approaches - Bob Caine, Bob Carlson & Rhonda Sato

Session II Workshops Included:

The Context of our Character: Refocusing the Over-Indulged Child -
Tim Dakin
Teaching Character: Classroom Instructional Strategies - Lynette Dilley
Managing Conflict and Change with Character: A Scenarios & Change Clinic - Ken Hawkins
Leadership: Teaching for Change - Debbie Arakel
Developing Responsible Learners: Sharing Responsibility with Parents for Character Development, Student Success and Academic Achievement - Marla Loew

Session III Workshops Included:

Evaluating Character-Based Approaches - Lynette Dilley, Rhonda Sato & Paul Tuss
Character and Citizenship in High Schools: An Essential Part of Reform - Joseph Maloney
Schools, Families and Communities: Building Character Bridges for Student Achievement - Elaine Freedman
Character in Action: Student Leadership Models - Student Panel

Thoughts from our Conference:

“As a board member I have the honor of visiting many schools and you can tell when you walk on a campus if it’s connected with character. It’s encouraging, refreshing, engaging, uplifting & the students are learning.” ~ EmCee Priscilla Cox, EGUSD Board Member

The belief that every human being has equal worth – is why the call for equity is just!
~ Dr. Alice R. Furry, Chief Executive Officer, Reading Lions Center

“A good education must also create good character.” ~ Mary Jane Pearson, Secretary’s Regional Representative – Region 9, U.S. Department of Education

“Those of us who are sworn to uphold the laws applaud your collective efforts to promote greater citizenship amongst your student bodies. For every student you imbue with a respect for the law, and for being a good citizen, is one less person, whether now as a juvenile or later as an adult, who will come into the criminal justice system.” ~ Lawrence Brown, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, U. S. Attorney’s Office

“A solid learning environment is the result of consistent character-related behaviors, such as respect, responsibility and trust.” ~ David Sanchez, Vice President, California Teachers Association

“Character education is more than doing lesson plans or tests, it’s about creating a culture: in your school, in your district, in your community, it’s not the pieces, it’s the whole.” ~ David W. Gordon, Superintendent, Sacramento County Office of Education

“Character education that starts with how the adults in a system can handle disruptive behaviors, how they treat each other and how they treat students can do much to allow teachers the time to teach and for students to learn in a healthy environment.” ~ Kathi Cooper, Former Associate Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District

Excerpts from Dr. Kevin Ryan's Keynote Address
Teaching the Habits: Character Education's Missing Link

“Character education is a very active process…it isn’t enough to have nice ideas or strong feelings, we have to make these habits a part of our essence.”

“There’s a wonderful definition of character education…‘It’s what we do as parents and as teachers to help the young know the good, love the good, and do the good.’”

“Sow a thought, reap an action;
sow an action, reap a habit;
sow a habit, reap a character;
sow a character, reap a destiny.”
~ Confucious

7 Step Model for Forming a Habit

1. Identify a particular need, lack or problem one has.
2. Understand it.
3. Commit to changing it.
4. Plan how you will accomplish this.
5. Put the plan in action.
6. Self-Monitor yourself as you put the plan in action.
7. Persist throughout the plan until the habit is formed.

2005 Mechanisms for Change Conference Sponsors

CYC Corporate Citizen
Sacramento County Office of Education

Community Event Underwriter
California Reading Lions Center

Community Event Sponsors
California Teacher’s Association
e.Republic

Community Event Supporter
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District

Copyright ©2003. Center for Youth Citizenship. All rights reserved.
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 269003, Sacramento, CA 95826-9003
Physical Address: 10170 Missile Way, Mather, CA 95655
(916) 228-2322 . Fax (916) 228-2493 . cyc@scoe.net