The Character Education Partnership named 28 public schools, 2 charter schools, and 5 school districts as National Finalists in the 2013 National Schools of Character (NSOC) program. The state of Missouri leads again, with 26% of the schools listed, and all are CHARACTERplus members.

• CHARACTERplus is a program of Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis and is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2013. For information on how to qualify to be a National School of Character, visit CHARACTERplus.org.

Schools that apply for NSOC recognition benefit from self-assessment as well as the expert feedback they receive at no cost. Once they reach a standard of excellence, a process that may take several years, they are recognized as Schools of Character and asked to help other schools transform their school cultures. Describing the program as a path to school improvement through high-quality character education, CEP has offered the…