It started with a simple question: “How do we evaluate and document teaching?” What followed was not just an adaptation of a framework and evaluation tool but our own professional development with unexpected insights, shared experiences, and a renewed energy for teaching. With the goal of clarifying evaluation of teaching, we began to look at the Benchmarks for Teaching Effectiveness provided by the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) at the University of Kansas. The CTE Benchmarks have been developed as a comprehensive framework for evaluating teaching across seven dimensions: (1) Goals, Content, and Alignment; (2) Teaching Practices; (3) Achievement of Learning Outcomes; (4) Class Climate; (5) Reflection and Iterative Growth; (6) Mentoring and Advising; and (7) Involvement in Teaching Service, Scholarship, or Community.
Character (Still) Counts: Moral Injury and the Case for Character Education
Many academic leaders remember the Character Counts! initiative from the 1990s and early 2000s. It was visible in schools and youth programs nationwide, emphasizing as core values the Six Pillars
Teresa Maggard Stephens
June 15, 2026
