What is KPCEL?

Kern Partners for Character and Educational Leadership (KPCEL) is a nation-wide network of institutions in the process of implementing character education initiatives. The purpose of KPCEL is to be a platform for support, collaboration and the generation of praxis in the field of formative character formation across K-12, community, and higher education contexts.

What is Boston College's role?

The Lynch School of Education and Human development at Boston College was recently awarded a grant from the Kern Family Foundation entitled “Expanding the Reach of Formative Leadership Education by Building Communities of Practice.” This funds the facilitation of the KPCEL network. Throughout 2022-2025, we will facilitate the annual KPCEL convening and a series of working groups and professional learning communities across the network to support the work of our partners from inquiry to implementation. Collaborative inquiry will be the basis for puzzling through the meanings and practices of formative character education. We see working groups and professional learning communities as a means of supporting and generating the practical wisdom of leaders as they move their institutions towards holistic education.

How can my project benefit from KPCEL?

Across the KPCEL network, you can find resources, intellectual partners, experts, and friends to help you learn, reflect upon, implement, grow, and evaluate your formative character education initiative. We envision scaffolding reflective communities of practice. Our vision is that these will engender rich, dense, overlapping relational networks amongst individuals and institutions advancing formative education within diverse contexts. We have developed two formats: working groups and professional learning communities. We encourage and support your active participation!

How can I/my team contribute to KPCEL?

The KPCEL network is whatever you make it! We encourage you to reach out and maintain active contact with people across the network, form and facilitate working groups, co-publish, visit one-another's institutions to learn more about projects and practices, and more! Our team is here to facilitate and support your work and cooperation.