What makes character education programs work

The interventions considered for inclusion are identified through an exhaustive search of the published and unpublished literature as well as a review of nominations submitted to the WWC. The intervention does not necessarily have to be referred to as a character education program if it otherwise meets this criterion. Only interventions that are replicable i. Finally, all interventions should be delivered during the regular school day and school year; after-school and summer programs will not be included.

For this WWC review, character education products e. A large variety of products are offered to elementary, middle, and high schools for individual or group use. Scrutiny of the full list is beyond the scope of this review. In addition, it is believed that little research exists on the outcomes produced by the use of such products.

The review focuses on well-conducted randomized and nonrandomized controlled trials of character education programs, practices, and policies. To be eligible, studies must have been published in or later and report outcome measures taken on students, not solely teachers, parents, or other participants in the program or school. At least one of the outcome measures must focus on character education outcomes or academic performance and demonstrate adequate reliability or face validity.

Specific Topic Parameters The following parameters specify which studies will be coded for the review and the aspects of those studies that are critical to how they are coded. Important characteristics of the intervention that must be known in order to reliably replicate it with different participants, in other settings, at other times. An intervention is considered to be replicable if:. Interval of time within which studies should have been conducted to be appropriate for the Evidence Report.

Studies must have been conducted within the past 20 years i. This is the default time interval for all WWC reviews. Timing will be judged by the date of earliest publication of any report on the study outcomes. The publication date for unpublished studies will be the date the document reached its final form.

Necessary characteristics that define the target population. Students are between the ages of 5 and 21 and are enrolled in grades K through Students attend an institution within the United States including U. In addition, interventions will be characterized for descriptive purposes with regard to the population with which they are implemented, including special subpopulations of children e.

Important characteristics of participants that might be related to the intervention's effect that must be equated if a study does not employ random assignment. Studies that do not employ random assignment must demonstrate the initial equivalence of the comparison groups, or ensure it through statistical control, with regard to:. Appropriate interval for measuring the intervention's effect relative to the end of the intervention.

The benefits of a character education intervention are expected to appear by the end of the intervention and to be retained past that point. Thus measures at the end of an intervention and any time thereafter are appropriate. Amount of differential attrition from the intervention and control groups assumed to be problematic. School climate approach. Effective character education should spill over the boundaries of the classroom into the playground, the office, the cafeteria, the bus, and then into the home and neighborhood.

This school climate approach generates a common language and culture that fosters positive peer recognition and encourages all members of the school community to exemplify and reward behavior consistent with core values and ethical decision making. Teacher-friendly materials.

Teachers must be able to implement the character education curriculum with limited training and preparation. They should not have to write lengthy lesson plans, prepare student handouts, search out supplementary materials, or decode impossibly complex instructional manuals.

Keeping curriculum materials simple and straightforward greatly increases the probability that the lessons will get taught consistently and effectively. Teacher flexibility and creativity.

Teachers not only need a basic framework to work with, but they also should be able to adjust character education lessons to individual teaching and learning styles. A successful character education curriculum is sufficiently flexible to allow teachers to exercise creativity in addressing special classroom circumstances while still adhering to school-wide standards. Thus, one teacher may have the class designate four or five ways to practice tolerance while another teacher may decide to have individual students select a specific tolerant behavior for practice.

The teachers' approaches may vary even though the same language and concepts are taught in both classrooms. Student participation. Character education is most effective when students develop a sense of ownership. It is not enough to tell students how to behave. They must participate in the process of framing goals in order to achieve them. At the Kauluwela School in Honolulu, Hawaii, each student in Leona Englehart's 5th grade class decides on individual character goals and how to meet them.

Parental involvement and then some. Chat With Us. SmartFox Sign In. What is Character Education? Components of Character Education There's no precise formula for a curriculum that incorporates character education.

Educators promote core ethical and performance values to instill good character in students. A comprehensive definition of character, which includes thoughts, emotions, and actions. Educators use an intentional, proactive, and comprehensive approach to character development. To support this process, schools create caring and supportive communities. Educators encourage students to develop morally and provide opportunities to grow morally. Schools create a challenging academic environment to helps students develop character.

Educators foster self-motivation in students. Educators and all school staff are part of an ethical learning community and adhere to the same values that they teach. Schools foster leadership values. Schools engage parents and other members of the community as partners in character building efforts. Schools regularly assess their culture, their staff and their overall success at fostering character development.

The Role of Educators in Character Building There are several common objections to character education , based on some natural but misguided beliefs about the proper role of schools in developing character. Character Education: the Future of Education? Talk to an Enrollment Specialist. Join Our Community. The unit concepts are logical extensions of these topics and are presented in a coordinated manner. The lessons are systematically organized to teach students how to think about themselves and their engagement with the world around them.

When students learn how to treat themselves and others with respect and integrity, it creates a learning environment in which they feel safe and cared for. When students know school is a nourishing place for them, they are more likely to excel academically and eventually become successful, productive adults. When character education is expanded through an entire school district, to families through parenting classes, and out into the community, it helps create a healthy place where students can live, learn, and grow.

Positive Action offers lessons for preschool, elementary school, middle school, and high school levels, thus students will expand their character education in a healthy manner from an early age. Most importantly, educators must have confidence in the content they are teaching to their students. Positive Action is the only character education program in the nation to have garnered the top rating of the U.