A case for character education in our schools

By Julie Charboneau, Julie Durr, Josh Goodsey, Steph Seberson and Steve Seberson

Published on: May 29, 2008

Why have some sports icons succumbed to drug enhanced bodies? When did an elected official believe he was above fidelity? Why do teenagers find it acceptable to text test answers to peers across a classroom? Though not a rhetorical question, our course content raised this question: “What place does teaching character education take in the public school system?” We define character education as choosing right from wrong, differing from moral education defined as judging right from wrong. This article will briefly explore character education. Shall we have a look?

Character education, in the form of value-laden stories, teachable moments and discipline, remained a mainstay of American education until the mid-20th century – until different prevailing ideologies and philosophies infiltrated America’s education system, such as logical positivism, moral relativism and personalism. This shift in American idealism forced a couple of questions that derailed character education as a mainstream teaching philosophy. One question: whose morals and values should be taught? During the 1980s and 1990s, America began a plethora of moral problems and character education began its comeback. Today, schools are re-culturing, according to an education reporter from Virginia, evidenced today by more than 60 percent of America’s schools teaching some form of character education. Character Education Partnership, an advocacy/advisory organization, believes that there is not a specific program for effective character education, but many of the programs do have a belief system of 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 work ethic and perseverance, form the basis of good character.

One impressive example of the transformative effects of character education was found at Ridgewood Middle School in Arnold, Missouri. In 2000, this rural/suburban school of 503 students, 42 percent of them economically disadvantaged, had all the marks of a proverbial “failing school.” After infusing character education into the curriculum and school community, academic performance rose, disciplinary referrals decreased by more than 70 percent and the student failure rate dropped to zero.

The debate about who should teach character education has spread globally over 200-plus years and has at once been interpreted as necessary content in public education and at another time been seen as strictly religious fare. The school setting is one more environment where behavioral and social choices are tested every day. Critics of those schools or districts teaching character education in low-performing or failing schools believed valuable teaching time was taken from the academic essentials. Parents of poverty either have not placed a value in character development due to their view of or encounters with society during their developing years. Parents of privilege commonly make the assumption that due to the economic status of the home life, their children are somehow inoculated with character.

Service-learning is a segment of character education that ties academic disciplinary skills with a community-service project. Students at Palo Community School in Palo, Mich., studied global hunger. Then students hosted an international dinner to educate the community about the social and economic inequalities and to raise funds. These students contributed the proceeds to Heifer International, a foundation that purchases sustainable food and income sources for needy communities. Service learning helps students foster social responsibility and build a framework for a lifetime of community involvement.

When evidence lies in improved school attendance, test scores, decreased tardies, suspensions, and violence, the promise of a student with character and citizenship becomes a beacon for a healthy society. So, is there a case for character education in the public school system? Can we afford not to? The question deserves a supportive answer.

Editor’s note: This article is submitted by graduate students from the University of Washington-Tacoma’s Masters in Education Program as a culminating project focusing on facets of character education in Dr. Robert Howard’s Foundations in Education course.

A case for character education in our schools

By Julie Charboneau, Julie Durr, Josh Goodsey, Steph Seberson and Steve Seberson

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