Character Education: Does it Work?

© 2003 Nancy Watters. All rights reserved.

1. The "hole in the moral ozone"
2. Returning to moral standards
3. Character education defined
4. Virtues Vs Values
5. Can good character be taught?
6. Does character education work?
7. Creating an effective program
8. Additional resources

1. The "hole in the moral ozone"
One can point to many social and economic problems that are international in scope-the environment, drug dealing, sex trade, economic injustice, and various health crises. The underlying crisis is moral. The root cause of these problems is failure to live by basic spiritual principles.

We don't have to look far to see the symptoms of increased moral decay. Corporate leaders perpetrate "white collar" crimes of undreamed-of proportions, causing loss of confidence and a declining economy. Clergy abuse children. Politicians manipulate public opinion for their own gain. In one study, the World Bank reported that lack of moral leadership was the reason that for the majority of failed international development projects.

The moral vacuum has also affected our youth. The Boston Globe reported that 75% of all high school students admit to cheating. A US News and World Report survey found that 35% of college-age students said they would steal from an employer. The leading cause of death of 15-24 year olds is murder. Education consultant Michael Josephson calls this a "hole in the moral ozone." Alasdair MacIntyre says that we are raising a generation of "moral stutters".

Through character education and moral leadership training, this crisis can become our opportunity. The goal of character education is to train citizens who:

• Know the right thing to do
• Want to do the right thing
• Do the right thing at the right time and place

Good character comes from within. It is not maintained through laws, punishments, or incentives. It represents inner strength of spirit as well as right action. Alfred Adler said, "It is easier to fight for principles than to live up to them." Character education creates communities that live by their highest values.

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2. Returning to moral standards
There are no "value neutral" environments. When we try to remain "objective" and not "indoctrinate" students, our behavior nevertheless speaks loudly about what we believe and who we are. In the absence of direct instruction, students observe adults around them or take cues from role models in the media and draw their own conclusions about right and wrong. If we are not actively teaching good character and moral standards, students are still learning--but perhaps not what we want them to learn.

Character training has always been part of our educational system. With the advent of a more pluralistic society, an effort was made to avoid conflict over whose values would be taught and to be respectful of all cultures and religious traditions. Some educators approached the problem by not talking about ethical and moral issues at all. "Separation of church and state", "Let the parents do that" were their answers. Others taught "values clarification" and situational ethics or discussed various moral dilemmas. These approaches led students to believe that there are no absolute standards of right and wrong-only various choices that an individual can make based on their preferences. Weak character has been the widespread result.

Recognizing this, the recent trend has been a return to actively teaching moral standards in the form of virtues. Virtues are universally honored character traits-- "gems of the human spirit" such as kindness, honesty, self-control, and respect that form the basis for good character.

Christina Hoff Sommers explains the rationale for a return to moral standards particularly well in "Teaching The Virtues"

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3. Character education defined

Martin Luther King, Jr., said, "Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education." If our goal is to teach good character, then we must begin by defining what we mean by character education. Not surprisingly, there are many different, sometimes conflicting, definitions of character education. Some of these have been compiled by the ERIC clearinghouse at Indiana University and are posted on the web: character education definitions.

One of my favorite definitions is by Dr. Thomas Lickona, who says, "Character education is the deliberate effort to develop virtues that are good for the individual and good for society." The Character Education Network

Kevin Ryan, author of Educating for Character, says good character means to "Know the good, love the good, do the good." Henry A. Huffman of the Mount Lebanon School District in Pennsylvania used a "Head, Heart, Hands" approach.

What most definitions have in common is a holistic approach that includes teaching knowledge of what is right, stimulating a desire to do what is right, and encouragement for right action. Good character is recognized as the foundation for success in work and family life.

Governors from the states of Colorado, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah endorsed the "Character Education Manifesto," written by Kevin Ryan, Karen E. Bohlin, and Judith O. Thayer in February 1996. The Manifesto was the first document of its kind to define character education and to present to teachers and parents seven guiding principles for reform. The full document is on line at Manifesto

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4. Virtues vs Values
People often use the words "virtues" and "values" interchangeably. Yet they are distinct concepts. People can value (desire) anything. Some of the things people value are worthwhile, such as music or environmentally friendly consumerism. And some things people value are destructive, such as cheating, extreme materialism, and a "look out for #1" attitude. Teachers were sometimes shocked to find out what students valued as they led discussions during "values clarification" lessons.

Virtues are qualities of the human spirit innate within each person--traits such as courage, creativity, trustworthiness, respect, and consideration. All cultures and wisdom traditions value them. The world's sacred literature identifies over 300 virtues needed to develop good character. List of 52 basic virtues

If you are working within a school, community organization, or business to develop a climate of integrity, I encourage you to begin by listing all the virtues you can think of. Then consider the definition of those virtues. Next, determine which ones are most important to your group. Finally, plan proactively for how you will model and actively encourage those virtues in that setting. Families also use this approach to develop a family mission and create peaceful homes that optimize creation of good character.

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5. Can good character be taught?
Yes! It is being taught widely to all ages. Its never too late to learn the lessons of good character. There are over 200 character education curriculums for schools, for example. A searchable database of these materials is on-line at The Character Education Partnership

Parents, of course, remain the primary educators of children in moral behavior. By the time a child enters school they have already spent more time with their parents than they will with teachers by graduation (K-12). But parents need the support of educators and the community in order to succeed, especially in the face of the current moral crisis. So schools and community groups must also be partners with parents.

For a synthesis of the research on moral development by Larry Nucci go to http://tigger.uic.edu/~lnucci/MoralEd/articles/nuccisynthesis.html.

An excellent article on "How Not to Teach Values" by Alfie Kohn is posted at "http://tigger.uic.edu/~lnucci/MoralEd/articles.kohn.html". This article will help educators and parents discern the difference between effective, research-based character educatation programs and those that have a political or religious agenda.

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6. Does character education work?
Many studies point to the effectiveness of virtues education for reducing violence, discipline problems, gambling, tobacco use, attempted suicide, substance abuse and for boosting academic achievement, positive health practices, sexual abstinence, and appreciation of diversity.

In one large US study of 6-12th grade students, for example, The Search Institute identified 40 "assets" that are powerful predictors of healthy adolescent development. The more assets a student has in their life, the fewer risk behaviors are likely. Many of the assets are virtues--achievement motivation (excellence), caring, equality and social justice (tolerance, respect, justice); integrity; honesty, responsibility, restraint (self-discipline); planning and decision-making (purposefulness); empathy and sensitivity (consideration, caring, friendliness); peaceful conflict resolution (justice, peacefulness); resistance skills (assertiveness); self-esteem (confident); sense of purpose (purposefulness); and positive view of personal future (confidence). Information about their research is on line at The Search Institute

Evaluation is an important component of effective character education programs. Appropriate measurement of program outcomes allow administrators to continuously fine tune their efforts, as well as be accountable to the community and funders. Nancy Watters can help you design an appropriate evaluation strategy as you implement your program.

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7. Creating an effective program

Effective character education and moral leadership programs take a comprehensive approach that leads to an ethos of integrity throughout the organization. All stakeholders participate in creating and implementing the program. There is ongoing, active attention given to understanding the virtues and they are woven throughout the activities of the organization. There is the expectation that leaders and teachers are committed to modeling the behaviors they are requiring of students and employees. A climate of encouragement and caring is established, and moral behavior is noticed and appreciated. Effective programs are evaluated regularly and make continuous improvements as lessons are learned.

An excellent statement on this topic has been created by the Character Education Partnership: 11 Principles of Effective Character Education

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8. Additional Resources

The Virtues Gazette--a monthly e-zine--Free subscription

Useful links

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