CEEL

CEEL℠ is the servant leadership-oriented Character Education for Educational Leaders Academy. The program grew out of a desire to nurture and empower assistant principals in Greater Saint Louis and develop a pipeline of school administrators who are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to implement a comprehensive character education program in their schools.

What is CEEL?

CEEL is a multi-layered professional development program that is a blend of the Center for Character and Citizenship (CCC) flagship program, the Leadership Academy in Character Education program, LACE®, and a servant leadership framework. Over 12 months, a cohort of school administrators are engaged in an array of interactive, skill-building workshops that focus on ways to cultivate servant leadership virtues, including courage, forgiveness and gratitude. Additionally, program participants complete assignments that provide the building blocks for a character education implementation plan.

““It is the hope of the KFF that this grant will have a long-term positive effect on student outcomes and that the center’s work will become a model for colleges of education across the country,”
Beth Purvis, Kern Family Foundation Senior Program Director”

CEEL is made possible through a grant from The Kern Family Foundation (KFF) awarded to the Center for Character and Citizenship. “This grant will extend our long-time goal of ensuring the next generation of school leaders prioritizes student character as they step into administrative roles,” said Marvin W. Berkowitz, the Center for Character and Citizenship co-director and grant co-investigator. “Together, we have the opportunity to create schools that foster a holistic approach and offer children a comprehensive education that values their character as much as their academics,” added Melinda Bier, the associate director of the center and grant co-investigator.

What happens during the academy?

CEEL workshop with guest speaker, Dick Pieper

CEEL Academy workshops are led by CCC staff and an invited expert in character education with a different expert for each session.

CEEL incorporates a mix of reflections on the servant leadership virtues of the CCC’s CViL program with aspects of the CCC’s longstanding leadership for character education program.

The workshops are participatory and include a variety of individual and team activities.