Throughout history, character education has been the shared
responsibility of parents, teachers and members of the community, who
come together to support positive character development.
...nothing is of more importance for the public weal, than to form and train up youth
in wisdom and virtue.
— Benjamin Franklin |
Character education teaches the habits of thought and deed that help
people live and work together as families, friends, neighbors,
communities and nations.
Character education is a learning process that enables students and
adults in a school community to understand, care about and act on core
ethical values such as respect, justice, civic virtue and citizenship,
and responsibility for self and others. Upon such core values, we form
the attitudes and actions that are the hallmark of safe, healthy and
informed communities that serve as the foundation of our society.
What is the school's role in character education?
Students spend much of their young lives in classrooms. This time in
school is an opportunity to explain and reinforce the core values upon
which character is formed.
In school, character education must be approached comprehensively to
include the emotional, intellectual and moral qualities of a person or
group. It must offer multiple opportunities for students to learn about,
discuss and enact positive social behaviors. Student leadership and
involvement are essential for character education to become a part of a
student's beliefs and actions.
