[DALLAS] — Eight campuses from Harmony Public Schools-North Texas have been named official Texas “State Schools of Character” for their outstanding efforts in promoting cultures of character in their schools and communities.
The awards were announced by Character.org, a national advocate and leader for character development in schools.
Each year, Character.org certifies schools and districts at the state level that demonstrate a dedicated focus on character development, which the organization says has a positive effect on academic achievement, student behavior and school climate. Only 87 schools in America and 23 schools in Texas were chosen for the honor. Of those rare few, Harmony campuses accounted for 18 making it again the most awarded school system in the country for character education.
“Here at Harmony, we are committed to helping mold not just a generation of great scholars, but also a generation of great citizens and future community leaders,” Harmony CEO Fatih Ay said. “That’s why character education is invaluable to the academic process at Harmony. By embedding values like respect, teamwork, leadership and empathy into our rigorous academic curriculum, we give our students the full set of tools they’ll need to take on whatever challenges or opportunities that await them.”
The eight Harmony campuses selected were:
- Harmony School of Excellence-Dallas
- Harmony School of Innovation-Carrollton
- Harmony School of Innovation-Waco
- Harmony Science Academy-Carrollton
- Harmony Science Academy-Dallas (Elementary)
- Harmony Science Academy-Grand Prairie
- Harmony Science Academy-Plano
- Harmony Science Academy-Waco
Six other Harmony campuses in North Texas previously earned the honor, which remains with campuses for five years after designation. One of those campuses also won National School of Character honors. Those campuses were:
- Harmony School of Innovation-Dallas
- Harmony School of Innovation – Garland
- Harmony Science Academy – Dallas Middle
- Harmony School of Innovation-Fort Worth*
- Harmony Science Academy-Garland
- Harmony Science Academy-Dallas High
*Both a State School of Character and National School of Character recipient
Each of these schools has put into place a comprehensive, multi-year approach to character education that inspires their students to understand, care about and consistently practice a set of core values that will enable them to flourish in school, in relationships, in the workplace, and as citizens. The schools then underwent a rigorous evaluation process to achieve their certification, documenting how they have implemented character education best practices and structures at each school.
Statewide, Harmony Public Schools now has 40 of its schools awarded Character.org honors — more than any other school system in the U.S.
Harmony Public Schools North Texas District has 17 campuses serving PreK-Grade 12 students in 8 North Texas cities, including Dallas, Fort Worth, Carrollton, Euless, Garland, Grand Prairie, Plano and in Waco. We are currently accepting applications for the 2023-24 school year for students and team members.
