A Cross-Sector Collaboration
Advancing Character’s Annual Conference serves as the premier gathering or leaders from research institutions, higher education, nonprofit organizations, service providers, and K-12 schools and networks for three days of collaborative learning, meaningful dialogue, and partnership building.
This unique conference breaks down silos by intentionally connecting:
- K-12 Practitioners bringing classroom and school-level expertise
- Researchers sharing cutting-edge findings and theoretical frameworks
- Nonprofit Leaders and service providers supporting character initiatives in communities nationwide
- Higher Education Faculty preparing the next generation of educators and leaders
In addition to insightful presentations, our conference emphasizes interactive engagement through table dialogues, hands-on workshops, and collaborative sessions. Participants don’t just attend—they contribute, share challenges, exchange proven strategies, and leave with both practical tools and lasting professional relationships.
Each year’s conference explores a timely theme that advances the field while addressing current educational challenges. Through research presentations, case studies, and practice-focused workshops, attendees gain insights that are immediately applicable to their work in character education.
In an educational landscape often divided between theory and practice, our Annual Conference creates rare common ground. Here, university researchers learn from classroom teachers, nonprofit leaders share resources with school administrators, and innovative practices are tested against rigorous research—all in service of better preparing young people for lives of purpose and contribution.
Join the conversation that’s shaping the future of character education.
2026 Annual Conference
March 2-4, 2026 | Tempe, AZ
Our 2026 conference theme invites participants to draw on enduring wisdom while looking forward to what’s next. Together, we’ll reinvigorate how we prepare educational leaders, educators, and their school communities not just to succeed academically, but to flourish as whole persons. We’ll explore what works in character formation: the lasting principles of character and practical wisdom, the energy of innovation, and the growing partnerships across education that are aligning around human flourishing.
View the Conference Program Below