Projects
The FLP project is an ongoing effort to understand or expand character and leadership education. The communities, groups, and efforts highlighted here are collaborative spaces that bring theory and practice into relation while nurturing the friendships that vitalize our networks.
Working Group: Placed Based Character Education
The Kern’s were fond of the phrase, “Grow where you’re planted.” Reflecting on the wisdom of this sentiment in our increasingly interconnected world, we aim to study: the intersections between place and character education...
Formative Leadership Education
Formative education is the core of our mission at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development (LSEHD). In fact in 2024 in an unprecedented venture in American higher education, BC launched the...
Professional Learning Communities – Design Notes on a Curriculum
During our Kern Grant, we facilitated five PLCs. The PLC functioned primarily as a community of practice for K -12 educators and leaders. Our goal was to create opportunities to learn more deeply about particular dimensions...
Writing Retreat(s)
In the culture of formative leadership education, retreats nurture the intellectual, embodied, and spiritual dimensions of the leaders who constitute our network. We held our first writing retreat in December 2023 at the...
Working Groups
Working groups are small communities of inquiry that meet regularly and in between KPCEL network convenings. The working groups are designed to generate shared insights and new ventures in the practice and theory of...
Working Group: Creating Conditions in Higher Education to Nurture Whole Person Development
As we engage in formative character education at diverse colleges and universities, we need to recognize that the contexts of implementation are both iterative and precarious. To better understand how to steward projects...
Working Group: Pedagogies for Character Formation
The search is on for pedagogies that promote holistic, formative education for human flourishing. Both novice and experienced educators are designing learning environments to advance character and human flourishing, but too...
Working Group: Reflection and Contemplation Working Group
The Reflection and Contemplation working group meets to study the affordances and challenges of reflection and contemplation for formative character education. The importance of reflection and dialogue is well-established...