Character Education
Informational
Handbook & Guide
Components
of Character Education
After more than a decade of
experience with diverse communities, educators learned that these
components are critical to the lasting success of character
education:
Community participation. Have
educators, parents, students, and members of the community invest
themselves in a consensus-building process to discover common ground
that is essential for long-term success.
Character education policy. Make
character education a part of your philosophy, goal or mission
statement by adopting a formal policy. Don’t just say it - put
it in writing.
Defined traits. Have a meeting of
parents, teachers and community representatives and use consensus to
get agreement on which character traits to reinforce and what
definitions to use. Formally state what your school means by
“courage” or “perseverance” before they are
discussed with students. (The suggested traits listed in the Student
Citizen Act might be a great place to start.)
Integrated curriculum. Make
character education integral to the curriculum at all grade levels.
Take the traits you have chosen and connect them to classroom
lessons, so students see how a trait might figure into a story or be
part of a science experiment or how it might affect them. Make these
traits a part of every class and every subject.
Experiential learning. Allow your
students to see the trait in action, experience it and express it.
Include community-based, real-world experiences in your curriculum
that illustrate character traits (e.g., service learning, cooperative
learning and peer mentoring). Allow time for discussion and
reflection.
Evaluation. Evaluate character
education from two perspectives: (1) Is the program affecting
positive changes in student behavior, academic achievement and
cognitive understanding of the traits? (2) Is the implementation
process providing the tools and support teachers need?
Adult role models. Children
“learn what they live,” so it is important that adults
demonstrate positive character traits at home, school and in the
community. If adults do not model the behavior they teach, the entire
program will fail.
Staff development. Provide
development and training time for your staff so that they can create
and implement character education on an ongoing basis. Include time
for discussion and understanding of both the process and the
programs, as well as for the creation of lesson plans and
curricula.
Student involvement. Involve
students in age-appropriate activities and allow them to connect
character education to their learning, decision-making and personal
goals as you integrate the process into their school.
Sustaining the program. The
character education program is sustained and renewed through
implementation of the first nine elements, with particular attention
to a high level of commitment from the top: adequate funding; support
for district coordination staff; high quality and ongoing
professional development; and a networking and support system for
teachers who are implementing the program.
From Field-tested Resources in
Character Education, Cooperating School Districts of Greater St.
Louis
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