From Aristotle to Angelou: Best Practices in Character Education

Autor/in	Dovre, Paul J.
Titel	From Aristotle to Angelou: Best Practices in Character Education
Quelle	In: Education Next, 7 (2007) 2, S.38-45 (8 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1539-9664
Schlagwörter	Moral Values; Social Values; Program Effectiveness; Ethical Instruction; Service Learning; Student Behavior; Values Education; Citizenship Education; Interpersonal Competence; Charter Schools; Classical Literature; Private Schools; Teaching Methods; Educational Environment; Accountability; Classics (Literature); Student Diversity; Interpersonal Relationship; Peace; Connecticut; Massachusetts; Minnesota; New Jersey; United States; Wisconsin + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Moral value; Ethischer Wert; Sozialer Wert; Ethics instruction; Teaching of ethics; Ethikunterricht; Service-Learning; Student behaviour; Schülerverhalten; Werterziehung; Citizenship; Education; Politische Bildung; Politische Erziehung; Staatsbürgerliche Erziehung; Interpersonale Kompetenz; Charter school; Charter-Schule; Classical philology; Literature; Altphilologie; literatur; Private school; Privatschule; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Lernumgebung; Pädagogische Umwelt; Schulumwelt; Verantwortung; Interpersonal relation; Interpersonal relations; Interpersonelle Beziehung; Zwischenmenschliche Beziehung; Frieden; Master-Studiengang; USA
Abstract	The modern character education movement emerged in the 1980s as a consequence of growing parental and public concern for moral drift, or what sociologist James Davison Hunter referred to as "the death of character." This public anomie was captured in these words from Sanford McDonnell, chairman emeritus of McDonnell Douglas and chair of the Character Education Partnership (CEP), a national umbrella group that provides coordination, encouragement, and support to schools: "We have a crisis of character all across America. ...the good news is that we know what to do about it: get back to the core values of our American heritage in our homes, our schools, our businesses, our government, and indeed in each of our daily lives." Two decades later, it is time to ask, What are the successes of the character education movement? What do best practices look like? This essay explores these questions through the study of character education in six schools. Over the course of two months, the author visited each of the selected schools to learn about the program in place--why it was initiated and by whom; what roles faculty, staff, and parents play; what the key program elements are; what the results are and how they are measured; and what obstacles the program faces. The author selected programs in schools of various sizes, types, grade levels, and locations. The six sites include a suburban public school district and a small-town elementary school, a private religious school and a private secular school, an alternative public high school, and a charter school. Each had been designated a National School of Character by the Character Education Partnership (CEP). Though they differ in many ways, the six schools share the critical elements of a comprehensive program in character education. Pedagogy is guided by a set of "core values" or "virtues." The schools provide abundant opportunities for "moral discourse" about complex, contested matters and "moral action" through both organized community service and in-school conduct. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Hoover Institution. Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-6010. Tel: 800-935-2882; Fax: 650-723-8626; e-mail: educationnext@hoover.stanford.edu; Web site: http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10