THREE CORPORATIONS SPONSOR LEADERSHIP TRAINING FOR SLPS PRINCIPALS
Superintendent Bourisaw to send 93 principals to Leadership Academy for Character Education (LACE)

St. Louis – The St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) today announced that three area companies – Anheuser Busch, Emerson, and the Harbour Group - will contribute to a second Leadership Academy for Character Education enabling all 93 SLPS principals to attend this successful, high quality training over the next five years. LACE is a program offered through the University of Missouri St. Louis and CHARACTERplus, a program of Cooperating School Districts.

The Leadership Academy helps principals deepen their understanding of character education and shows them how to integrate character education into every aspect of a student’s school day. Principals learn to involve not just students, but teachers, parents and community members in the character building process. The goal of the LACE program is for each principal to design and tailor a quality character education program for their students by the end of the 12-month program.

“We are very fortunate that three corporations have committed to send our principals to this valuable leadership training,” said Superintendent Dr. Diana Bourisaw. “From my experience in working with other school districts across Missouri, I know the power of quality character education programs in schools and the impact they can have on student achievement,” she said.

Principals will meet once per month, including site visits to exemplary schools, attendance at the local annual CHARACTERplus conference, and participation in workshops by national leaders in the field. In addition, the participants will all be mentored by Dr. Marvin Berkowitz, the Sanford N. McDonnell Professor of Character Education at UMSL.

“I have always had a passion for providing key leadership training for individuals who educate our children,” said Sanford McDonnell, founder of the current Sanford N. McDonnell Leadership Academy for Character Education. “I believe that the training will make a tremendous difference in the academic performance and behavior of many of the St. Louis Public School students.”

The Sanford N. McDonnell Leadership Academy for Character Education (LACE) is a collaboration of CHARACTERplus and the UMSL Center for Character and Citizenship.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Attached please find an article entitled “Miracle in Missouri: A Journey from Worst to Best,” which describes how Ridgewood Middle School (Fox School District) became designated as a National School of Character by utilizing the CHARACTERplus and LACE programs.