FRIDAY JANUARY 15TH, 2010

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Amber Kruk
Associate Director, Education
Institute for Global Ethics
91 Camden Street, Suite 403
Rockland, Maine 04841
1-800-729-2615 x 132
akruk@globalethics.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rockland, ME & Los Angeles, CA--The Institute for Global Ethics (IGE) announced today that Berkeley Hall School in Los Angeles, has joined that Ethical Literacy®  Community, a school-based community of 16 public and independent pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 day and boarding schools as well as community colleges dedicated to building school cultures of integrity.

Berkeley Hall School will kick off its Ethical Literacy® initiative in late January when a team of 4 Berkeley Hall teachers welcomes Paula Mirk, Director of Education at IGE certified Ethical Literacy® Coach, to Los Angeles. Over a period of two days, Mirk will train the team in deep conceptual work and activity delivery in key concept areas like Ethical Fitness®, Moral Courage™, and Schools of Integrity, and collaborate to produce a specific action plan for uniting the entire school community around ethics.

Berkeley Hall School will continue its work and membership in Ethical Literacy® through January 2013. They will receive ongoing support from Mirk and IGE in the form of telephone and Web-based coaching, customized activities and tools, periodic Schools Cultures Assessments, and access to an online community linking Berkeley Hall School with other participating Ethical Literacy® schools. Team members from all participating schools come together at an annual conference, hosted at a participating school site, to share stories, engage in workshops, and learn and support each other.

The Ethical Literacy® initiative promises to be an exciting and inspiring experience for administrators faculty, and students at Berkeley Hall School. "We're empowering schools to balance attention to academics with attention to the ethical development of our students. Not only does this ethics dimension helps make school more meaningful and relevant for many students. We're so pleased that Berkeley Hall School is putting in place a deliberate process for building their school's culture of integrity," says Mirk.

About the Institute for Global Ethics

Founded in 1990, the Institute for Global Ethics is an independent, nonsectarian, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ethical action in a global context. Its challenge is to explore the global common ground of values, elevate awareness of ethics, and provide practical tools for making ethical decisions. IGE's Ethical Literacy® approach was piloted in the 2006-2007 school year. Ethical Fitness®, Ethical Literacy®, and Moral Courage™ are trademarks of the Institute for Global Ethics. All rights reserved.

About Berkeley Hall School

Berkeley Hall School's mission is "to develop active thinkers in a balanced learning environment that inspires children of diverse backgrounds to fulfill their unlimited, God-given potential." Berkeley Hall offers a traditional, balanced program of challenging academics, arts, and athletics, which provides a strong foundation for high school. Development of character has been an essential element of a Berkeley Hall education since the school's founding in 1911 and continues today in weekly all-school assemblies and day-to-day integration of character values into every aspect of the program.

- IGE -