Guest Editors’ Introduction

This issue is one of an occasional series of partnership issues between Character.org and the Journal of Character Education. In it we highlight exemplary schools that recently received Character.org’s National Schools of Character designation within a context driven by its 11 Principles of Character.The issue opens with two manuscripts on the history and current status of the 11 Principles. Marvin Berkowitz and a group of Character.org founders provide a history of the conceptualization and evolution of those now internationally used standards of comprehensive character education implementation. Their manuscript is followed by Tamra Nast’s overview of the current status of the 11 Principles, and then by Maurice Elias and May Yuan’s manuscript advocating a closer connection between the languages of character education and socioemotional learning, and a recommendation for collaboration between their proponents that they label socioemotional character development.The heart of this special issue is the Voices From the Field section. In it are stories and strategies from 10 exemplary National Schools of Character, organized around five categories based on their unique strengths. Each category is represented by two school descriptions: a comprehensive approach to the 11 Principles, (by Laurie Niehues and by Gayle Nurre and Tina Joeris); a focus on moral action and a challenging school curriculum (by Phyllis Fagell and by Adrienne Jenkins and Ruby Brown); school emphasis on self-motivation and staff learning (by Andrea Deane and by Josie Grahl and Jean-Louis Kong); commitment to shared leadership and engaging the community (by Theresa Labbree and by Laura Taylor); and character assessment (by Nadja Pardo and by Pam Green and Doug Knott). These schools provide insightful models, and with permission of their authors, Character.org suggests reaching out to them. Finally, three relevant book reviews cap off this issue.Character.org hopes that practitioners will find here valuable understandings, resources, and strategies for continuous improvement in our important field.