Content uploaded by Eric Schaps
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Eric Schaps on Aug 05, 2019
Content may be subject to copyright.
time to plan) of the character education initiative, including, ideally, support at the
district and state levels. In addition, within the school students assume
developmentally appropriate roles in leading the character education effort through
class meetings, student government, peer mediation, cross-age tutoring, service clubs,
task forces, and student-led initiatives.
Schools that reach out to families and include them in character-building efforts greatly
enhance their chances for success with students. They take pains at every stage to
communicate with families—via newsletters, e-mails, family nights, and parent
conferences—about goals and activities regarding character education. To build greater
trust between home and school, parents are represented on the character education
committee. These schools also make a special effort to reach out to subgroups of parents
who may not feel part of the school community. Finally, schools and families enhance
the effectiveness of their partnership by recruiting the help of the wider community (i.e.,
businesses, youth organizations, religious institutions, the government, and the media)
in promoting character development.
Effective character education must include an effort to assess progress using both
qualitative and quantitative methods. Three broad kinds of outcomes merit
attention:
(a) The character of the school: To what extent is the school becoming a more
caring community? This can be assessed, for example, with surveys that ask
students to indicate the extent to which they agree with statements such as,
“Students in this school (classroom) respect and care about each other,” and “This
school (classroom) is like a family.”
(b) The school staff’s growth as character educators: To what extent have adult
staff—teaching faculty, administrators, and support personnel—developed
understandings of what they can do to foster character development? Personal
commitment to doing so? Skills to carry it out? Consistent habits of acting upon
their developing capacities as character educators?
(c) Student character: To what extent do students manifest understanding of,
commitment to, and action upon the core ethical values? Schools can, for example,
gather data on various character-related behaviors: Has student attendance gone up?
Fights and suspensions gone down? Vandalism declined? Drug incidents diminished?
Schools can also assess the three domains of character (knowing, feeling, and
behaving) through anonymous questionnaires that measure student moral judgment
(for example, “Is it wrong to cheat on a test?”), moral commitment (“Would you
cheat if you were sure you wouldn’t get caught?”) and self-reported moral behavior
(“How many times have you cheated on a test or major assignment in the past
year?”). Such questionnaires can be administered at the beginning of a school’s
character initiative to get a baseline and again at later points to assess progress.
Effective Character Education:
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
10. Engages families
and community
members as
partners in the
character-building
effort.
11. Assesses the
character of the
school, the school
staff’s functioning as
character educators,
and the extent to
which students
manifest good
character.
9. (continued) MORE RESOURCES. . .
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW •Suite 1011 •Washington, DC 20036 •Tel 1.800.988.8081 •Fax 202.296.7779 •www.character.org
Eleven Principles Sourcebook
Interested in starting or improving upon a character
education initiative in your school or district? The Eleven
Principles Sourcebook—composed of 11 guides and an
introductory video—provides strategies and resources for
putting the principles of effective character education into
action.
Eleven Principles Sourcebook Seminars
Bring CEP to your school or district to provide
customized professional development based on CEP’s
Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education and the
Eleven Principles Sourcebook. CEP takes a systemic,
hands-on approach that allows schools to begin or
improve upon character education initiatives. Our
professional development experiences can be one-day or
year-long in helping propel your initiative forward.
National Schools of Character
Each year CEP recognizes 10 public and private schools and
districts (K–12) as National Schools of Character (NSOC).
The purpose of the program is to disseminate model
character education practices to schools and districts across
the nation. CEP selects award recipients that exemplify
CEP’s Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education.
NSOC receive a $20,000 monetary award: $10,000 to
enhance their programs and $10,000 to provide outreach to
other educators. CEP honors the NSOC at the CEP
National Forum on Character Education and highlights
their stories in an annual NSOC publication and on CEP’s
Web site. The deadline for NSOC applications is in
December. Support for the NSOC awards program comes
from the John Templeton Foundation, the UAW-GM
Center for Human Resources, Enterprise Rent-a Car
Foundation, and Lockheed Martin Corporation.
State Schools of Character
The National Schools of Character awards program has
moved to a tiered approach. Schools and districts in
participating states are eligible to receive a State Schools of
Character award in addition to being eligible for the
National Schools of Character award. By expanding the
scope of the program in this way, CEP intends to increase
the number of outstanding schools and districts sharing best
practices,localize the mentoring network among educators,
and identify exemplary sites within participating states to
serve as models. Schools or districts that are not in one of
the participating states apply directly to CEP for the national
award. Visit www.character.org/ssoc for more information or
to find out how your state can get involved.
Promising Practices Awards
In addition to the National Schools of Character award,
CEP gives over 100 Promising Practices awards each year
for specific and unique best practices in character
education. These practices are included in the annual
NSOC publication and on CEP’s Web site, where
educators can search them for ideas and strategies
electronically. Award recipients are honored at CEP’s
Forum. The deadline for Promising Practices applications
is in March. Visit www.character.org/nsoc for details.
National Forum on Character Education
Join thought leaders, policy makers, teachers, and school
and district administrators from across the country in
learning about the latest strategies, research, and
inspirational ideas on character education. Visit
www.character.org/forum for details.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL CEP OR VISIT US ONLINE.
T
h
e
r
e
i
s
n
o
s
i
n
g
l
e
s
c
r
i
p
t
f
o
r
e
f
f
e
c
t
i
v
e
c
h
a
r
a
c
t
e
r
e
d
u
c
a
t
i
o
n
,
b
u
t
t
h
e
r
e
a
r
e
s
o
m
e
i
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
t
b
a
s
i
c
p
r
i
n
c
i
p
l
e
s
.
T
h
e
f
o
l
l
o
w
i
n
g
e
l
e
v
e
n
p
r
i
n
c
i
p
l
e
s
s
e
r
v
e
a
s
c
r
i
t
e
r
i
a
t
h
a
t
s
c
h
o
o
l
s
a
n
d
o
t
h
e
r
g
r
o
u
p
s
c
a
n
u
s
e
t
o
p
l
a
n
a
c
h
a
r
a
c
t
e
r
e
d
u
c
a
t
i
o
n
e
f
f
o
r
t
a
n
d
t
o
e
v
a
lu
a
t
e
a
v
a
i
l
a
b
l
e
c
h
a
r
a
c
t
e
r
e
d
u
c
a
t
i
o
n
p
r
o
g
r
a
m
s
,
b
o
o
k
s
,
a
n
d
c
u
r
r
i
c
u
l
u
m
r
e
s
o
u
r
c
e
s
.
By Tom Lickona, Ph.D.
Eric Schaps, Ph.D.
Catherine Lewis, Ph.D.
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
CEP’s
Eleven Principles
of Effective Character Education
Character education holds that widely shared, pivotally important, core ethical values—such
as caring, honesty, fairness, responsibility, and respect for self and others–along with
supportive performance values–such as diligence, a strong worth ethic, and
perseverance–form the basis of good character. A school committed to character
development stands for these values (sometimes referred to as “virtues” or “character traits”),
defines them in terms of behaviors that can be observed in the life of the school, models these
values, studies and discusses them, uses them as the basis of human relations in the school,
celebrates their manifestations in the school and community, and holds all school members
accountable to standards of conduct consistent with the core values.
In a school committed to developing character, these core values are treated as a matter of
obligation, as having a claim on the conscience of the individual and community. Character
education asserts that the validity of these values, and our responsibility to uphold them,
derive from the fact that such values affirm our human dignity, promote the development and
welfare of the individual person, serve the common good, meet the classical tests of
reversibility (i.e., Would you want to be treated this way?) and universality (i.e., Would you
want all persons to act this way in a similar situation?), and inform our rights and
responsibilities in a democratic society. The school makes clear that these basic human
values transcend religious and cultural differences, and express our common humanity.
Good character involves understanding, caring about, and acting upon core ethical values. A
holistic approach to character development therefore seeks to develop the cognitive,
emotional, and behavioral aspects of moral life. Students grow to understand core values by
studying and discussing them, observing behavioral models, and resolving problems involving
the values. Students learn to care about core values by developing empathy skills, forming
caring relationships, helping to create community, hearing illustrative and inspirational
stories, and reflecting on life experiences. And they learn to act upon core values by
developing prosocial behaviors (e.g., communicating feelings, active listening, helping skills)
and by repeatedly practicing these behaviors, especially in the context of relationships (e.g.,
through cross-age tutoring, mediating conflicts, school and community service). As children
grow in character, they develop an increasingly refined understanding of the core values, a
deeper commitment to living according to those values, and a stronger capacity and tendency
to behave in accordance with them.
Schools committed to character development look at themselves through a moral lens to assess
how virtually everything that goes on in school affects the character of students. A
comprehensive approach uses all aspects of schooling as opportunities for character
development. This includes what is sometimes called the hidden curriculum (e.g., school
ceremonies and procedures; the teachers’ example; students’ relationships with teachers, other
school staff, and each other; the instructional process; how student diversity is addressed; the
assessment of learning; the management of the school environment; the discipline policy); the
academic curriculum (i.e., core subjects, including the health curriculum); and extracurricular
programs (i.e., sports teams, clubs, service projects, after-school care). “Stand alone” character
education programs can be useful first steps or helpful elements of an ongoing effort but are not
an adequate substitute for a holistic approach that integrates character development into every
aspect of school life. Finally, rather than simply waiting for opportunities to arise, with an
intentional and proactive approach, the school staff takes deliberate steps for developing
character, drawing wherever possible on practices shown by research to be effective.
Effective Character Education:
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
1. Promotes core ethical
values and supportive
performance values as
the foundation of good
character
2. Defines “character”
comprehensively to
include thinking,
feeling, and behavior.
3. Uses a comprehensive,
intentional, and
proactive approach
to character
development.
Character is often defined as “doing the right thing when no one is looking.” The
best underlying ethical reason for following rules, for example, is respect for the
rights and needs of others—not fear of punishment or desire for a reward.
Similarly, we want students to be kind to others because of an inner belief that
kindness is good and a desire to be a kind person. Growing in self-motivation is a
developmental process that schools of character are careful not to undermine by
excessive emphasis on extrinsic incentives. When such schools give appropriate
social recognition for students’ prosocial actions (e.g., “Thank you for holding the
door—that was a thoughtful thing to do.”) or celebrate character through special
awards (e.g., for outstanding school or community service), they keep the focus on
character. Schools of character work with students to develop their understanding
of rules, their awareness of how their behavior affects others, and the character
strengths—such as self-control, perspective taking, and conflict resolution skills—
needed to act responsibly in the future. Rather than settle for mere compliance,
these schools seek to help students benefit from their mistakes by providing
meaningful opportunities for reflection, problem solving, and restitution.
All school staff—teachers, administrators, counselors, school psychologists,
coaches, secretaries, cafeteria workers, playground aides, bus drivers—need to be
involved in learning about, discussing, and taking ownership of the character
education effort. First and foremost, staff members assume this responsibility by
modeling the core values in their own behavior and taking advantage of other
opportunities to influence the students with whom they interact.
Second, the same values and norms that govern the life of students serve to govern
the collective life of adult members in the school community. Like students, adults
grow in character by working collaboratively with each other and participating in
decision-making that improves classrooms and school. They also benefit from
extended staff development and opportunities to observe colleagues and then apply
character development strategies in their own work with students.
Third, a school that devotes time to staff reflection on moral matters helps to
ensure that it operates with integrity. Through faculty meetings and smaller
support groups, a reflective staff regularly asks questions such as: What character-
building experiences is the school already providing for its students? What
negative moral experiences (e.g., peer cruelty, student cheating, adult disrespect of
students, littering of the grounds) is the school currently failing to address? And
what important moral experiences (e.g., cooperative learning, school and
community service, opportunities to learn about and interact with people from
different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds) is the school now
omitting? What school practices are at odds with its professed core values and
desire to develop a caring school community? Reflection of this nature is an
indispensable condition for developing the moral life of a school.
Schools that are engaged in effective character education have leaders (e.g., the
principal, a lead teacher or counselor, a district administrator, or preferably a small
group of such individuals) who champion the effort. At least initially, many schools
and districts establish a character education committee—often composed of staff,
students, parents, and possibly community members—that takes responsibility for
planning, implementation, and support. Over time, the regular governing bodies of
the school or district may take on the functions of this committee. The leadership also
takes steps to provide for the long-range support (e.g., adequate staff development,
Effective Character Education:
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
A school committed to character strives to become a microcosm of a civil, caring,
and just society. It does this by creating a community that helps all its members
form caring attachments to one another. This involves developing caring
relationships among students (within and across grade levels), among staff,
between students and staff, and between staff and families. These caring
relationships foster both the desire to learn and the desire to be a good person. All
children and adolescents have needs for safety, belonging, and the experience of
contributing, and they are more likely to internalize the values and expectations of
groups that meet these needs. Likewise, if staff members and parents experience
mutual respect, fairness, and cooperation in their relationships with each other,
they are more likely to develop the capacity to promote those values in students. In
a caring school community, the daily life of classrooms and all other parts of the
school environment (e.g., the hallways, cafeteria, playground, school bus, front
office, and teachers’ lounge) is imbued with a climate of concern and respect for
others.
In the ethical as in the intellectual domain, students are constructive learners; they
learn best by doing. To develop good character, they need many and varied
opportunities to apply values such as compassion, responsibility, and fairness in
everyday interactions and discussions as well as through community service. By
grappling with real-life challenges (e.g., how to divide the labor in a cooperative
learning group, how to reach consensus in a class meeting, how to reduce fights on
the playground, how to carry out a service-learning project) and reflecting on these
experiences, students develop practical understanding of the requirements of
cooperating with others and giving of oneself. Through repeated moral
experiences, students develop and practice the skills and behavioral habits that
make up the action side of character.
When students succeed at work in school and feel a sense of competence and
autonomy, they are more likely to feel valued and cared about as persons. Because
students come to school with diverse skills, interests and needs, an academic
program that helps all students succeed will be one in which the content and
pedagogy are sophisticated enough to engage all learners. This means providing
a curriculum that is inherently interesting and meaningful to students. A
meaningful curriculum includes active teaching and learning methods such as
cooperative learning, problem-solving approaches, and experience-based projects.
These approaches increase student autonomy by appealing to students’ interests,
providing them with opportunities to think creatively and test their ideas, and
fostering a sense of “voice and choice”—having a say in decisions and plans that
affect them.
In addition, effective character educators look for the natural intersections
between the academic content they wish to teach and the character qualities they
wish to develop. These “character connections” can take many forms, such as
addressing current ethical issues in science, debating historical practices and
decisions, and discussing character traits and ethical dilemmas in literature. When
teachers bring to the fore the character dimension of the curriculum, they enhance
the relevance of subject matter to students’ natural interests and questions, and in
the process, increase student engagement and achievement. When teachers
promote performance values such as intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and
diligence, students are better able to do their best work.
Effective Character Education:
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
4. Creates a caring
school community.
5. Provides students
with opportunities
for moral action.
6. Includes a meaningful
and challenging
academic curriculum
that respects all
learners, develops
their character, and
helps them to succeed.
7. Strives to foster
students’ self-
motivation.
8. Engages the school staff
as a learning and moral
community that shares
responsibility for
character education and
attempts to adhere to the
same core values that
guide the education of
students.
9. Fosters shared moral
leadership and long-
range support of the
character education
initiative.
The Character Education Partnership (CEP) believes that character education’s primary
focus is on developing the core ethical values needed to be a good human being. But
character education also seeks to develop complementary performance character qualities
that enable students to perform at their highest potential in the classroom, the workplace,
or any other area of endeavor. These two parts of character work together in mutually
supportive ways
Character education holds that widely shared, pivotally important, core ethical values—such
as caring, honesty, fairness, responsibility, and respect for self and others–along with
supportive performance values–such as diligence, a strong worth ethic, and
perseverance–form the basis of good character. A school committed to character
development stands for these values (sometimes referred to as “virtues” or “character traits”),
defines them in terms of behaviors that can be observed in the life of the school, models these
values, studies and discusses them, uses them as the basis of human relations in the school,
celebrates their manifestations in the school and community, and holds all school members
accountable to standards of conduct consistent with the core values.
In a school committed to developing character, these core values are treated as a matter of
obligation, as having a claim on the conscience of the individual and community. Character
education asserts that the validity of these values, and our responsibility to uphold them,
derive from the fact that such values affirm our human dignity, promote the development and
welfare of the individual person, serve the common good, meet the classical tests of
reversibility (i.e., Would you want to be treated this way?) and universality (i.e., Would you
want all persons to act this way in a similar situation?), and inform our rights and
responsibilities in a democratic society. The school makes clear that these basic human
values transcend religious and cultural differences, and express our common humanity.
Good character involves understanding, caring about, and acting upon core ethical values. A
holistic approach to character development therefore seeks to develop the cognitive,
emotional, and behavioral aspects of moral life. Students grow to understand core values by
studying and discussing them, observing behavioral models, and resolving problems involving
the values. Students learn to care about core values by developing empathy skills, forming
caring relationships, helping to create community, hearing illustrative and inspirational
stories, and reflecting on life experiences. And they learn to act upon core values by
developing prosocial behaviors (e.g., communicating feelings, active listening, helping skills)
and by repeatedly practicing these behaviors, especially in the context of relationships (e.g.,
through cross-age tutoring, mediating conflicts, school and community service). As children
grow in character, they develop an increasingly refined understanding of the core values, a
deeper commitment to living according to those values, and a stronger capacity and tendency
to behave in accordance with them.
Schools committed to character development look at themselves through a moral lens to assess
how virtually everything that goes on in school affects the character of students. A
comprehensive approach uses all aspects of schooling as opportunities for character
development. This includes what is sometimes called the hidden curriculum (e.g., school
ceremonies and procedures; the teachers’ example; students’ relationships with teachers, other
school staff, and each other; the instructional process; how student diversity is addressed; the
assessment of learning; the management of the school environment; the discipline policy); the
academic curriculum (i.e., core subjects, including the health curriculum); and extracurricular
programs (i.e., sports teams, clubs, service projects, after-school care). “Stand alone” character
education programs can be useful first steps or helpful elements of an ongoing effort but are not
an adequate substitute for a holistic approach that integrates character development into every
aspect of school life. Finally, rather than simply waiting for opportunities to arise, with an
intentional and proactive approach, the school staff takes deliberate steps for developing
character, drawing wherever possible on practices shown by research to be effective.
Effective Character Education:
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
1. Promotes core ethical
values and supportive
performance values as
the foundation of good
character
2. Defines “character”
comprehensively to
include thinking,
feeling, and behavior.
3. Uses a comprehensive,
intentional, and
proactive approach
to character
development.
Character is often defined as “doing the right thing when no one is looking.” The
best underlying ethical reason for following rules, for example, is respect for the
rights and needs of others—not fear of punishment or desire for a reward.
Similarly, we want students to be kind to others because of an inner belief that
kindness is good and a desire to be a kind person. Growing in self-motivation is a
developmental process that schools of character are careful not to undermine by
excessive emphasis on extrinsic incentives. When such schools give appropriate
social recognition for students’ prosocial actions (e.g., “Thank you for holding the
door—that was a thoughtful thing to do.”) or celebrate character through special
awards (e.g., for outstanding school or community service), they keep the focus on
character. Schools of character work with students to develop their understanding
of rules, their awareness of how their behavior affects others, and the character
strengths—such as self-control, perspective taking, and conflict resolution skills—
needed to act responsibly in the future. Rather than settle for mere compliance,
these schools seek to help students benefit from their mistakes by providing
meaningful opportunities for reflection, problem solving, and restitution.
All school staff—teachers, administrators, counselors, school psychologists,
coaches, secretaries, cafeteria workers, playground aides, bus drivers—need to be
involved in learning about, discussing, and taking ownership of the character
education effort. First and foremost, staff members assume this responsibility by
modeling the core values in their own behavior and taking advantage of other
opportunities to influence the students with whom they interact.
Second, the same values and norms that govern the life of students serve to govern
the collective life of adult members in the school community. Like students, adults
grow in character by working collaboratively with each other and participating in
decision-making that improves classrooms and school. They also benefit from
extended staff development and opportunities to observe colleagues and then apply
character development strategies in their own work with students.
Third, a school that devotes time to staff reflection on moral matters helps to
ensure that it operates with integrity. Through faculty meetings and smaller
support groups, a reflective staff regularly asks questions such as: What character-
building experiences is the school already providing for its students? What
negative moral experiences (e.g., peer cruelty, student cheating, adult disrespect of
students, littering of the grounds) is the school currently failing to address? And
what important moral experiences (e.g., cooperative learning, school and
community service, opportunities to learn about and interact with people from
different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds) is the school now
omitting? What school practices are at odds with its professed core values and
desire to develop a caring school community? Reflection of this nature is an
indispensable condition for developing the moral life of a school.
Schools that are engaged in effective character education have leaders (e.g., the
principal, a lead teacher or counselor, a district administrator, or preferably a small
group of such individuals) who champion the effort. At least initially, many schools
and districts establish a character education committee—often composed of staff,
students, parents, and possibly community members—that takes responsibility for
planning, implementation, and support. Over time, the regular governing bodies of
the school or district may take on the functions of this committee. The leadership also
takes steps to provide for the long-range support (e.g., adequate staff development,
Effective Character Education:
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
A school committed to character strives to become a microcosm of a civil, caring,
and just society. It does this by creating a community that helps all its members
form caring attachments to one another. This involves developing caring
relationships among students (within and across grade levels), among staff,
between students and staff, and between staff and families. These caring
relationships foster both the desire to learn and the desire to be a good person. All
children and adolescents have needs for safety, belonging, and the experience of
contributing, and they are more likely to internalize the values and expectations of
groups that meet these needs. Likewise, if staff members and parents experience
mutual respect, fairness, and cooperation in their relationships with each other,
they are more likely to develop the capacity to promote those values in students. In
a caring school community, the daily life of classrooms and all other parts of the
school environment (e.g., the hallways, cafeteria, playground, school bus, front
office, and teachers’ lounge) is imbued with a climate of concern and respect for
others.
In the ethical as in the intellectual domain, students are constructive learners; they
learn best by doing. To develop good character, they need many and varied
opportunities to apply values such as compassion, responsibility, and fairness in
everyday interactions and discussions as well as through community service. By
grappling with real-life challenges (e.g., how to divide the labor in a cooperative
learning group, how to reach consensus in a class meeting, how to reduce fights on
the playground, how to carry out a service-learning project) and reflecting on these
experiences, students develop practical understanding of the requirements of
cooperating with others and giving of oneself. Through repeated moral
experiences, students develop and practice the skills and behavioral habits that
make up the action side of character.
When students succeed at work in school and feel a sense of competence and
autonomy, they are more likely to feel valued and cared about as persons. Because
students come to school with diverse skills, interests and needs, an academic
program that helps all students succeed will be one in which the content and
pedagogy are sophisticated enough to engage all learners. This means providing
a curriculum that is inherently interesting and meaningful to students. A
meaningful curriculum includes active teaching and learning methods such as
cooperative learning, problem-solving approaches, and experience-based projects.
These approaches increase student autonomy by appealing to students’ interests,
providing them with opportunities to think creatively and test their ideas, and
fostering a sense of “voice and choice”—having a say in decisions and plans that
affect them.
In addition, effective character educators look for the natural intersections
between the academic content they wish to teach and the character qualities they
wish to develop. These “character connections” can take many forms, such as
addressing current ethical issues in science, debating historical practices and
decisions, and discussing character traits and ethical dilemmas in literature. When
teachers bring to the fore the character dimension of the curriculum, they enhance
the relevance of subject matter to students’ natural interests and questions, and in
the process, increase student engagement and achievement. When teachers
promote performance values such as intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and
diligence, students are better able to do their best work.
Effective Character Education:
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
4. Creates a caring
school community.
5. Provides students
with opportunities
for moral action.
6. Includes a meaningful
and challenging
academic curriculum
that respects all
learners, develops
their character, and
helps them to succeed.
7. Strives to foster
students’ self-
motivation.
8. Engages the school staff
as a learning and moral
community that shares
responsibility for
character education and
attempts to adhere to the
same core values that
guide the education of
students.
9. Fosters shared moral
leadership and long-
range support of the
character education
initiative.
The Character Education Partnership (CEP) believes that character education’s primary
focus is on developing the core ethical values needed to be a good human being. But
character education also seeks to develop complementary performance character qualities
that enable students to perform at their highest potential in the classroom, the workplace,
or any other area of endeavor. These two parts of character work together in mutually
supportive ways
Character education holds that widely shared, pivotally important, core ethical values—such
as caring, honesty, fairness, responsibility, and respect for self and others–along with
supportive performance values–such as diligence, a strong worth ethic, and
perseverance–form the basis of good character. A school committed to character
development stands for these values (sometimes referred to as “virtues” or “character traits”),
defines them in terms of behaviors that can be observed in the life of the school, models these
values, studies and discusses them, uses them as the basis of human relations in the school,
celebrates their manifestations in the school and community, and holds all school members
accountable to standards of conduct consistent with the core values.
In a school committed to developing character, these core values are treated as a matter of
obligation, as having a claim on the conscience of the individual and community. Character
education asserts that the validity of these values, and our responsibility to uphold them,
derive from the fact that such values affirm our human dignity, promote the development and
welfare of the individual person, serve the common good, meet the classical tests of
reversibility (i.e., Would you want to be treated this way?) and universality (i.e., Would you
want all persons to act this way in a similar situation?), and inform our rights and
responsibilities in a democratic society. The school makes clear that these basic human
values transcend religious and cultural differences, and express our common humanity.
Good character involves understanding, caring about, and acting upon core ethical values. A
holistic approach to character development therefore seeks to develop the cognitive,
emotional, and behavioral aspects of moral life. Students grow to understand core values by
studying and discussing them, observing behavioral models, and resolving problems involving
the values. Students learn to care about core values by developing empathy skills, forming
caring relationships, helping to create community, hearing illustrative and inspirational
stories, and reflecting on life experiences. And they learn to act upon core values by
developing prosocial behaviors (e.g., communicating feelings, active listening, helping skills)
and by repeatedly practicing these behaviors, especially in the context of relationships (e.g.,
through cross-age tutoring, mediating conflicts, school and community service). As children
grow in character, they develop an increasingly refined understanding of the core values, a
deeper commitment to living according to those values, and a stronger capacity and tendency
to behave in accordance with them.
Schools committed to character development look at themselves through a moral lens to assess
how virtually everything that goes on in school affects the character of students. A
comprehensive approach uses all aspects of schooling as opportunities for character
development. This includes what is sometimes called the hidden curriculum (e.g., school
ceremonies and procedures; the teachers’ example; students’ relationships with teachers, other
school staff, and each other; the instructional process; how student diversity is addressed; the
assessment of learning; the management of the school environment; the discipline policy); the
academic curriculum (i.e., core subjects, including the health curriculum); and extracurricular
programs (i.e., sports teams, clubs, service projects, after-school care). “Stand alone” character
education programs can be useful first steps or helpful elements of an ongoing effort but are not
an adequate substitute for a holistic approach that integrates character development into every
aspect of school life. Finally, rather than simply waiting for opportunities to arise, with an
intentional and proactive approach, the school staff takes deliberate steps for developing
character, drawing wherever possible on practices shown by research to be effective.
Effective Character Education:
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
1. Promotes core ethical
values and supportive
performance values as
the foundation of good
character
2. Defines “character”
comprehensively to
include thinking,
feeling, and behavior.
3. Uses a comprehensive,
intentional, and
proactive approach
to character
development.
Character is often defined as “doing the right thing when no one is looking.” The
best underlying ethical reason for following rules, for example, is respect for the
rights and needs of others—not fear of punishment or desire for a reward.
Similarly, we want students to be kind to others because of an inner belief that
kindness is good and a desire to be a kind person. Growing in self-motivation is a
developmental process that schools of character are careful not to undermine by
excessive emphasis on extrinsic incentives. When such schools give appropriate
social recognition for students’ prosocial actions (e.g., “Thank you for holding the
door—that was a thoughtful thing to do.”) or celebrate character through special
awards (e.g., for outstanding school or community service), they keep the focus on
character. Schools of character work with students to develop their understanding
of rules, their awareness of how their behavior affects others, and the character
strengths—such as self-control, perspective taking, and conflict resolution skills—
needed to act responsibly in the future. Rather than settle for mere compliance,
these schools seek to help students benefit from their mistakes by providing
meaningful opportunities for reflection, problem solving, and restitution.
All school staff—teachers, administrators, counselors, school psychologists,
coaches, secretaries, cafeteria workers, playground aides, bus drivers—need to be
involved in learning about, discussing, and taking ownership of the character
education effort. First and foremost, staff members assume this responsibility by
modeling the core values in their own behavior and taking advantage of other
opportunities to influence the students with whom they interact.
Second, the same values and norms that govern the life of students serve to govern
the collective life of adult members in the school community. Like students, adults
grow in character by working collaboratively with each other and participating in
decision-making that improves classrooms and school. They also benefit from
extended staff development and opportunities to observe colleagues and then apply
character development strategies in their own work with students.
Third, a school that devotes time to staff reflection on moral matters helps to
ensure that it operates with integrity. Through faculty meetings and smaller
support groups, a reflective staff regularly asks questions such as: What character-
building experiences is the school already providing for its students? What
negative moral experiences (e.g., peer cruelty, student cheating, adult disrespect of
students, littering of the grounds) is the school currently failing to address? And
what important moral experiences (e.g., cooperative learning, school and
community service, opportunities to learn about and interact with people from
different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds) is the school now
omitting? What school practices are at odds with its professed core values and
desire to develop a caring school community? Reflection of this nature is an
indispensable condition for developing the moral life of a school.
Schools that are engaged in effective character education have leaders (e.g., the
principal, a lead teacher or counselor, a district administrator, or preferably a small
group of such individuals) who champion the effort. At least initially, many schools
and districts establish a character education committee—often composed of staff,
students, parents, and possibly community members—that takes responsibility for
planning, implementation, and support. Over time, the regular governing bodies of
the school or district may take on the functions of this committee. The leadership also
takes steps to provide for the long-range support (e.g., adequate staff development,
Effective Character Education:
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
A school committed to character strives to become a microcosm of a civil, caring,
and just society. It does this by creating a community that helps all its members
form caring attachments to one another. This involves developing caring
relationships among students (within and across grade levels), among staff,
between students and staff, and between staff and families. These caring
relationships foster both the desire to learn and the desire to be a good person. All
children and adolescents have needs for safety, belonging, and the experience of
contributing, and they are more likely to internalize the values and expectations of
groups that meet these needs. Likewise, if staff members and parents experience
mutual respect, fairness, and cooperation in their relationships with each other,
they are more likely to develop the capacity to promote those values in students. In
a caring school community, the daily life of classrooms and all other parts of the
school environment (e.g., the hallways, cafeteria, playground, school bus, front
office, and teachers’ lounge) is imbued with a climate of concern and respect for
others.
In the ethical as in the intellectual domain, students are constructive learners; they
learn best by doing. To develop good character, they need many and varied
opportunities to apply values such as compassion, responsibility, and fairness in
everyday interactions and discussions as well as through community service. By
grappling with real-life challenges (e.g., how to divide the labor in a cooperative
learning group, how to reach consensus in a class meeting, how to reduce fights on
the playground, how to carry out a service-learning project) and reflecting on these
experiences, students develop practical understanding of the requirements of
cooperating with others and giving of oneself. Through repeated moral
experiences, students develop and practice the skills and behavioral habits that
make up the action side of character.
When students succeed at work in school and feel a sense of competence and
autonomy, they are more likely to feel valued and cared about as persons. Because
students come to school with diverse skills, interests and needs, an academic
program that helps all students succeed will be one in which the content and
pedagogy are sophisticated enough to engage all learners. This means providing
a curriculum that is inherently interesting and meaningful to students. A
meaningful curriculum includes active teaching and learning methods such as
cooperative learning, problem-solving approaches, and experience-based projects.
These approaches increase student autonomy by appealing to students’ interests,
providing them with opportunities to think creatively and test their ideas, and
fostering a sense of “voice and choice”—having a say in decisions and plans that
affect them.
In addition, effective character educators look for the natural intersections
between the academic content they wish to teach and the character qualities they
wish to develop. These “character connections” can take many forms, such as
addressing current ethical issues in science, debating historical practices and
decisions, and discussing character traits and ethical dilemmas in literature. When
teachers bring to the fore the character dimension of the curriculum, they enhance
the relevance of subject matter to students’ natural interests and questions, and in
the process, increase student engagement and achievement. When teachers
promote performance values such as intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and
diligence, students are better able to do their best work.
Effective Character Education:
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
4. Creates a caring
school community.
5. Provides students
with opportunities
for moral action.
6. Includes a meaningful
and challenging
academic curriculum
that respects all
learners, develops
their character, and
helps them to succeed.
7. Strives to foster
students’ self-
motivation.
8. Engages the school staff
as a learning and moral
community that shares
responsibility for
character education and
attempts to adhere to the
same core values that
guide the education of
students.
9. Fosters shared moral
leadership and long-
range support of the
character education
initiative.
The Character Education Partnership (CEP) believes that character education’s primary
focus is on developing the core ethical values needed to be a good human being. But
character education also seeks to develop complementary performance character qualities
that enable students to perform at their highest potential in the classroom, the workplace,
or any other area of endeavor. These two parts of character work together in mutually
supportive ways
time to plan) of the character education initiative, including, ideally, support at the
district and state levels. In addition, within the school students assume
developmentally appropriate roles in leading the character education effort through
class meetings, student government, peer mediation, cross-age tutoring, service clubs,
task forces, and student-led initiatives.
Schools that reach out to families and include them in character-building efforts greatly
enhance their chances for success with students. They take pains at every stage to
communicate with families—via newsletters, e-mails, family nights, and parent
conferences—about goals and activities regarding character education. To build greater
trust between home and school, parents are represented on the character education
committee. These schools also make a special effort to reach out to subgroups of parents
who may not feel part of the school community. Finally, schools and families enhance
the effectiveness of their partnership by recruiting the help of the wider community (i.e.,
businesses, youth organizations, religious institutions, the government, and the media)
in promoting character development.
Effective character education must include an effort to assess progress using both
qualitative and quantitative methods. Three broad kinds of outcomes merit
attention:
(a) The character of the school: To what extent is the school becoming a more
caring community? This can be assessed, for example, with surveys that ask
students to indicate the extent to which they agree with statements such as,
“Students in this school (classroom) respect and care about each other,” and “This
school (classroom) is like a family.”
(b) The school staff’s growth as character educators: To what extent have adult
staff—teaching faculty, administrators, and support personnel—developed
understandings of what they can do to foster character development? Personal
commitment to doing so? Skills to carry it out? Consistent habits of acting upon
their developing capacities as character educators?
(c) Student character: To what extent do students manifest understanding of,
commitment to, and action upon the core ethical values? Schools can, for example,
gather data on various character-related behaviors: Has student attendance gone up?
Fights and suspensions gone down? Vandalism declined? Drug incidents diminished?
Schools can also assess the three domains of character (knowing, feeling, and
behaving) through anonymous questionnaires that measure student moral judgment
(for example, “Is it wrong to cheat on a test?”), moral commitment (“Would you
cheat if you were sure you wouldn’t get caught?”) and self-reported moral behavior
(“How many times have you cheated on a test or major assignment in the past
year?”). Such questionnaires can be administered at the beginning of a school’s
character initiative to get a baseline and again at later points to assess progress.
Effective Character Education:
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
10. Engages families
and community
members as
partners in the
character-building
effort.
11. Assesses the
character of the
school, the school
staff’s functioning as
character educators,
and the extent to
which students
manifest good
character.
9. (continued) MORE RESOURCES. . .
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW •Suite 1011 •Washington, DC 20036 •Tel 1.800.988.8081 •Fax 202.296.7779 •www.character.org
Eleven Principles Sourcebook
Interested in starting or improving upon a character
education initiative in your school or district? The Eleven
Principles Sourcebook—composed of 11 guides and an
introductory video—provides strategies and resources for
putting the principles of effective character education into
action.
Eleven Principles Sourcebook Seminars
Bring CEP to your school or district to provide
customized professional development based on CEP’s
Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education and the
Eleven Principles Sourcebook. CEP takes a systemic,
hands-on approach that allows schools to begin or
improve upon character education initiatives. Our
professional development experiences can be one-day or
year-long in helping propel your initiative forward.
National Schools of Character
Each year CEP recognizes 10 public and private schools and
districts (K–12) as National Schools of Character (NSOC).
The purpose of the program is to disseminate model
character education practices to schools and districts across
the nation. CEP selects award recipients that exemplify
CEP’s Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education.
NSOC receive a $20,000 monetary award: $10,000 to
enhance their programs and $10,000 to provide outreach to
other educators. CEP honors the NSOC at the CEP
National Forum on Character Education and highlights
their stories in an annual NSOC publication and on CEP’s
Web site. The deadline for NSOC applications is in
December. Support for the NSOC awards program comes
from the John Templeton Foundation, the UAW-GM
Center for Human Resources, Enterprise Rent-a Car
Foundation, and Lockheed Martin Corporation.
State Schools of Character
The National Schools of Character awards program has
moved to a tiered approach. Schools and districts in
participating states are eligible to receive a State Schools of
Character award in addition to being eligible for the
National Schools of Character award. By expanding the
scope of the program in this way, CEP intends to increase
the number of outstanding schools and districts sharing best
practices,localize the mentoring network among educators,
and identify exemplary sites within participating states to
serve as models. Schools or districts that are not in one of
the participating states apply directly to CEP for the national
award. Visit www.character.org/ssoc for more information or
to find out how your state can get involved.
Promising Practices Awards
In addition to the National Schools of Character award,
CEP gives over 100 Promising Practices awards each year
for specific and unique best practices in character
education. These practices are included in the annual
NSOC publication and on CEP’s Web site, where
educators can search them for ideas and strategies
electronically. Award recipients are honored at CEP’s
Forum. The deadline for Promising Practices applications
is in March. Visit www.character.org/nsoc for details.
National Forum on Character Education
Join thought leaders, policy makers, teachers, and school
and district administrators from across the country in
learning about the latest strategies, research, and
inspirational ideas on character education. Visit
www.character.org/forum for details.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL CEP OR VISIT US ONLINE.
T
h
e
r
e
i
s
n
o
s
i
n
g
l
e
s
c
r
i
p
t
f
o
r
e
f
f
e
c
t
i
v
e
c
h
a
r
a
c
t
e
r
e
d
u
c
a
t
i
o
n
,
b
u
t
t
h
e
r
e
a
r
e
s
o
m
e
i
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
t
b
a
s
i
c
p
r
i
n
c
i
p
l
e
s
.
T
h
e
f
o
l
l
o
w
i
n
g
e
l
e
v
e
n
p
r
i
n
c
i
p
l
e
s
s
e
r
v
e
a
s
c
r
i
t
e
r
i
a
t
h
a
t
s
c
h
o
o
l
s
a
n
d
o
t
h
e
r
g
r
o
u
p
s
c
a
n
u
s
e
t
o
p
l
a
n
a
c
h
a
r
a
c
t
e
r
e
d
u
c
a
t
i
o
n
e
f
f
o
r
t
a
n
d
t
o
e
v
a
lu
a
t
e
a
v
a
i
l
a
b
l
e
c
h
a
r
a
c
t
e
r
e
d
u
c
a
t
i
o
n
p
r
o
g
r
a
m
s
,
b
o
o
k
s
,
a
n
d
c
u
r
r
i
c
u
l
u
m
r
e
s
o
u
r
c
e
s
.
By Tom Lickona, Ph.D.
Eric Schaps, Ph.D.
Catherine Lewis, Ph.D.
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
CEP’s
Eleven Principles
of Effective Character Education
time to plan) of the character education initiative, including, ideally, support at the
district and state levels. In addition, within the school students assume
developmentally appropriate roles in leading the character education effort through
class meetings, student government, peer mediation, cross-age tutoring, service clubs,
task forces, and student-led initiatives.
Schools that reach out to families and include them in character-building efforts greatly
enhance their chances for success with students. They take pains at every stage to
communicate with families—via newsletters, e-mails, family nights, and parent
conferences—about goals and activities regarding character education. To build greater
trust between home and school, parents are represented on the character education
committee. These schools also make a special effort to reach out to subgroups of parents
who may not feel part of the school community. Finally, schools and families enhance
the effectiveness of their partnership by recruiting the help of the wider community (i.e.,
businesses, youth organizations, religious institutions, the government, and the media)
in promoting character development.
Effective character education must include an effort to assess progress using both
qualitative and quantitative methods. Three broad kinds of outcomes merit
attention:
(a) The character of the school: To what extent is the school becoming a more
caring community? This can be assessed, for example, with surveys that ask
students to indicate the extent to which they agree with statements such as,
“Students in this school (classroom) respect and care about each other,” and “This
school (classroom) is like a family.”
(b) The school staff’s growth as character educators: To what extent have adult
staff—teaching faculty, administrators, and support personnel—developed
understandings of what they can do to foster character development? Personal
commitment to doing so? Skills to carry it out? Consistent habits of acting upon
their developing capacities as character educators?
(c) Student character: To what extent do students manifest understanding of,
commitment to, and action upon the core ethical values? Schools can, for example,
gather data on various character-related behaviors: Has student attendance gone up?
Fights and suspensions gone down? Vandalism declined? Drug incidents diminished?
Schools can also assess the three domains of character (knowing, feeling, and
behaving) through anonymous questionnaires that measure student moral judgment
(for example, “Is it wrong to cheat on a test?”), moral commitment (“Would you
cheat if you were sure you wouldn’t get caught?”) and self-reported moral behavior
(“How many times have you cheated on a test or major assignment in the past
year?”). Such questionnaires can be administered at the beginning of a school’s
character initiative to get a baseline and again at later points to assess progress.
Effective Character Education:
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
10. Engages families
and community
members as
partners in the
character-building
effort.
11. Assesses the
character of the
school, the school
staff’s functioning as
character educators,
and the extent to
which students
manifest good
character.
9. (continued) MORE RESOURCES. . .
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW •Suite 1011 •Washington, DC 20036 •Tel 1.800.988.8081 •Fax 202.296.7779 •www.character.org
Eleven Principles Sourcebook
Interested in starting or improving upon a character
education initiative in your school or district? The Eleven
Principles Sourcebook—composed of 11 guides and an
introductory video—provides strategies and resources for
putting the principles of effective character education into
action.
Eleven Principles Sourcebook Seminars
Bring CEP to your school or district to provide
customized professional development based on CEP’s
Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education and the
Eleven Principles Sourcebook. CEP takes a systemic,
hands-on approach that allows schools to begin or
improve upon character education initiatives. Our
professional development experiences can be one-day or
year-long in helping propel your initiative forward.
National Schools of Character
Each year CEP recognizes 10 public and private schools and
districts (K–12) as National Schools of Character (NSOC).
The purpose of the program is to disseminate model
character education practices to schools and districts across
the nation. CEP selects award recipients that exemplify
CEP’s Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education.
NSOC receive a $20,000 monetary award: $10,000 to
enhance their programs and $10,000 to provide outreach to
other educators. CEP honors the NSOC at the CEP
National Forum on Character Education and highlights
their stories in an annual NSOC publication and on CEP’s
Web site. The deadline for NSOC applications is in
December. Support for the NSOC awards program comes
from the John Templeton Foundation, the UAW-GM
Center for Human Resources, Enterprise Rent-a Car
Foundation, and Lockheed Martin Corporation.
State Schools of Character
The National Schools of Character awards program has
moved to a tiered approach. Schools and districts in
participating states are eligible to receive a State Schools of
Character award in addition to being eligible for the
National Schools of Character award. By expanding the
scope of the program in this way, CEP intends to increase
the number of outstanding schools and districts sharing best
practices,localize the mentoring network among educators,
and identify exemplary sites within participating states to
serve as models. Schools or districts that are not in one of
the participating states apply directly to CEP for the national
award. Visit www.character.org/ssoc for more information or
to find out how your state can get involved.
Promising Practices Awards
In addition to the National Schools of Character award,
CEP gives over 100 Promising Practices awards each year
for specific and unique best practices in character
education. These practices are included in the annual
NSOC publication and on CEP’s Web site, where
educators can search them for ideas and strategies
electronically. Award recipients are honored at CEP’s
Forum. The deadline for Promising Practices applications
is in March. Visit www.character.org/nsoc for details.
National Forum on Character Education
Join thought leaders, policy makers, teachers, and school
and district administrators from across the country in
learning about the latest strategies, research, and
inspirational ideas on character education. Visit
www.character.org/forum for details.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL CEP OR VISIT US ONLINE.
T
h
e
r
e
i
s
n
o
s
i
n
g
l
e
s
c
r
i
p
t
f
o
r
e
f
f
e
c
t
i
v
e
c
h
a
r
a
c
t
e
r
e
d
u
c
a
t
i
o
n
,
b
u
t
t
h
e
r
e
a
r
e
s
o
m
e
i
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
t
b
a
s
i
c
p
r
i
n
c
i
p
l
e
s
.
T
h
e
f
o
l
l
o
w
i
n
g
e
l
e
v
e
n
p
r
i
n
c
i
p
l
e
s
s
e
r
v
e
a
s
c
r
i
t
e
r
i
a
t
h
a
t
s
c
h
o
o
l
s
a
n
d
o
t
h
e
r
g
r
o
u
p
s
c
a
n
u
s
e
t
o
p
l
a
n
a
c
h
a
r
a
c
t
e
r
e
d
u
c
a
t
i
o
n
e
f
f
o
r
t
a
n
d
t
o
e
v
a
lu
a
t
e
a
v
a
i
l
a
b
l
e
c
h
a
r
a
c
t
e
r
e
d
u
c
a
t
i
o
n
p
r
o
g
r
a
m
s
,
b
o
o
k
s
,
a
n
d
c
u
r
r
i
c
u
l
u
m
r
e
s
o
u
r
c
e
s
.
By Tom Lickona, Ph.D.
Eric Schaps, Ph.D.
Catherine Lewis, Ph.D.
© Character Education Partnership, 2007
CEP’s
Eleven Principles
of Effective Character Education
