Describes a comprehensive model of classroom character education in the following components: the teacher as caregiver, model, and mentor; the caring classroom environment; moral discipline; the democratic classroom environment; values instruction through the curriculum; cooperative learning; the conscience of the craft; ethical reflection; and…

Over 2,000 years ago, Aristotle wrote a treatise on ethics in which he proposed that there were both intellectual and moral virtues to be developed in the human being. Virtue ("aristeia") was roughly equivalent to the English word "excellence" and the unifying virtue that was both a moral and an intellectual virtue was…

Describes the development and work of the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character at Boston University. The center addresses a range of issues related to young people acquiring sound ethical values and framing good character. To date, the center has focused on the responsibilities of teachers and schools. (SLD)

The development of good character cannot be separated from the basic purposes of education. The roles of character education and moral principles in education are discussed, and it is emphasized that students deserve the example of teachers who are themselves persons of good character. (SLD)

The story of Odysseus, his wanderings, and his suffering teach contemporary students lessons about life, as they have taught students in the past. The message from this story, that is, at the foundations of western culture, is that life must be embraced as it is and that pain can lead to self-knowledge. (SLD)

Socrates' defense of his life and work as told in Plato's "Apology" is an ideal work for moving young people to consider their moral responsibilities to themselves and others. Read as a biography, this classic text is timely in that it invites reflection on character formation and personal development. (Author/SLD)

The principles that underlie the education in music and painting described in Plato's "Republic" constitute a theory of the role of the arts in moral education that can be applied in other contexts, including contemporary education. Also explored is Plato's view of the influence of poetry on those not educated in Socrates' system. (SLD)

Describes the Jefferson Institute on the Foundations of Ethics in Western Society, a program of the Fairfax County (Virginia) high schools to provide teachers with a surer grasp of ethics to help them foster a school climate in which students consider issues of "right behavior." (SLD)

Highlights themes from I. Kant's "Lectures on Pedagogy," especially his message about moral perfectability (1781, 1787). It is argued that this ideal, although not completely achievable, should guide educational policy. Although it is the subject of much debate, Kant's emphasis on the international purposes of education is worth serious…

Character education in higher education is a challenging enterprise. There are concerns regarding academic freedom, debates about the role of the university, and criticisms of purported indoctrination. Character education initiatives in the past have often erred by neglecting what is known about individual human development, at one extreme, or by…

Reviews the literature on school-based community service programs and examines community service as a means of developing student character within a group of urban Catholic elementary schools. It suggests these urban Catholic schools offer a model for other elementary schools, both private and public, in building student character. (GR)

Drawing on experiences of a teacher who has taught secondary school ethics courses, this article argues that every school system should integrate ethics into all subject disciplines and present a course in ethics, perhaps as early as seventh or eighth grade. Such a course is described. (SLD)