Due to the eroding family composition of American families today and other important variables contributing to children's lack of social skills and inappropriate behaviors, the implementation of a Character Education curriculum is a greater need in schools today. This need is much more pressing than during the middle of the last century. Some…

The application of social-emotional and character development (SECD) in classrooms is about teaching, practicing, and modeling essential personal and civic life habits and skills that are almost universally understood as making people good human beings. Among these habits are respect, responsibility, integrity, caring, fairness, and constructive…

In this article we describe a cosmopolitan orientation toward the place of values in human life. We argue that a cosmopolitan outlook can assist people in engaging the challenges of being thrown together with others whose roots, traditions, and inheritances differ. We show that cosmopolitanism implies neither an elite nor an aloof posture toward…

These are challenging times for education. The public holds schools and teachers more accountable for student learning, as demonstrated by everyone's expectations for stronger student performances on standardized tests and higher graduation rates. Unfortunately, the increased emphasis on reading, mathematics, and science to prepare students for a…

This essay suggests that freedom and democracy will not be sustainable unless all participant groups (citizens, judges, legislators/executives): (1) have the knowledge and motivation necessary to promote ongoing progress; and (2) possess the integrity necessary to inspire public confidence. A case could be made that each of these participant…

Since its founding in 1875, Brigham Young University (BYU) has served a mission defined by its sponsoring institution which includes elements of character and spirituality (affective domain) in addition to the intellectual (cognitive domain). However, it is only since the establishment of the Office of Institutional Assessment and Analysis…

Modern education is examined in the light of John Dewey's theory that moral education is a process of involving singular human beings, living consciously in association with one another, in thinking purposively and intelligently about subject-matter provided by their common, intertwined lives. (JD)

In today's environment of unrelenting economic and social pressures, the writer makes the case that the professions need their educational centers more than ever as resources and as rallying points for renewal. Breakdowns in institutional reliability and professional self-policing, as revealed in waves of scandals in business, accounting,…

Purpose - Recent misconduct and highly questionable behavior has fostered considerable distrust, cynicism, and antagonism among the populace toward the leadership of virtually all social institutions. This paper aims to examine the impact of ethics training on business students values. Design/methodology/approach - Focuses on the central question…

The authors discuss the responsibility of colleges and universities to make moral and civic learning an integral part of the undergraduate experience. Citing Judge Learned Hand's 1944 comment that "The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of…

Many educators seem reluctant to instill in their pupils good habits such as honesty, respect, and truthfulness. This book emphasizes how teachers can create schools in which students practice and exhibit respect and responsibility. Many problems in schools, homes, and society at large, arise from a lack of good character. To develop moral…

This book presents a comprehensive approach to values education and moral education. It draws on old and new approaches and methods to help young people grow up with clear values, good character, moral integrity, and the knowledge and skills to be good citizens. This comprehensive model utilizes traditional approaches for inculcating and modeling…

Examines four problems associated with developing character in college students: two concerned with moral cognition, or knowing what is right, and two concerned with moral action. It then reviews educational programs concerned with moral action, and provides suggestions for designing character development strategies. (Author/TE)

The nine essays in this book present perspectives on what is needed in character education from kindergarten to college. Two main themes run through the volume. The first is a consensus among the authors that fundamental moral standards must be passed along to the young and that educators at all levels bear the obligation to transmit these core…

Presents a lesson plan that accentuates honesty as a central tenet of moral behavior. The first handout requires written answers to open-ended questions based on the students' personal convictions. Subsequent handouts contain quotes, arguments, and "Six Reasons for Being Honest." A class discussion follows. (MJP)