News Release Distributed 11/16/10
SHREVEPORT, La. – Caddo Parish Public Schools, winner of the Louisiana Promising Practices award, went on to win a national Promising Practices Award for recognition in social-emotional and character development.
Sponsored by the LSU AgCenter 4-H program, the Promising Practices awards program is administered by the Character Education Partnership as part of its National Schools of Character awards program.
This year is the first time the LSU AgCenter has sponsored the state Promising Practices award program, said LSU AgCenter agent Katherine Pace.
Winning practices include new and effective ways to help students solve conflicts, decrease bullying and take action in their schools and communities as well as programs to increase parental and community involvement.
Dr. Barzanna White, Caddo Parish School System psychologist, represented the system and accepted the award at the national Character Education Partnership conference in San Francisco in October.
In addition to the Caddo Parish schools, three other Louisiana promising practices winners for 2010 were Lake Forest Elementary Charter, Orleans Parish; L.J. Alleman Middle School, Lafayette Parish; and Haynesville Jr. High, Claiborne Parish.
An LSU AgCenter task force developed the Louisiana Schools of Character program under the National Schools of Character umbrella, which is part of the Character Education Partnership, Pace said.
Based in Washington, D.C., the Character Education Partnership is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to helping schools develop people of good character for a just and compassionate society.
This year the national organization presented 228 Promising Practices awards in character education to 196 schools and districts from across the United States and from Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Singapore.
Mary Ann Van Osdell