Adopted by the California State Board of Education on June 10, 1988, this handbook outlines the legal rights and responsibilities that school personnel have and their educational responsibilities in such areas as morality, democratic values, and religion in the schools. Section I, "Moral Values and Public Education," addresses the issues…

Educators from over 30 countries judged the suitability of incidents in moral education in the context of their native environment. Participants were 54 secondary school principals or teachers, most of whom were graduate students or married to graduate students at the University of California, Santa Barbara. They were given descriptions of 23…

Intended for elementary and secondary teachers and for students in teacher training institutions, this book contains practical suggestions and information on ways and means of improving social studies instruction. UNESCO hopes that the book will play a part in raising the standard of social studies teaching and that it will at the same time…

Recognizing that similar approaches to moral education operate differently in different school settings, this paper assesses the methods and impact of a moral education course (Skills for Ethical Action, SEA) in six junior high school settings. SEA is an instructional program designed to teach seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students a…

This book contains 29 articles for elementary and secondary teachers dealing with fundamental concepts and teaching techniques in values education. Part one of the book deals with concepts. Louis E. Raths examines valuing and its relationship to freedom and intelligence. The cognitive developmental approach to moral education is discussed by…

A study examined how the discourse of standards and ethics plays out in texts used in core human resource development (HRD) graduate courses. Its overarching purpose was to expand the continuing discussion of ethics through critical hermeneutic analyses of key literature within HRD. It used the recently developed document of the Academy of HRD,…

The right of schools to stress moral education must be decided by the entire school community, including the school board, administrators, teachers, and parents. Implications for administrators are the burden of providing a sound moral environment; transmitting morals, values and attitudes; and dealing with censorship groups. (Author)

Describes a curriculum-embedded focus for character education. Outlines a series of character-related topics (justice, responsibility, civic virtue) and combines them with corresponding social studies topics and activities (reviewing the origins of self-government, interviewing community elders) for each grade K-12. Includes reading list and…

Calls for a renewed effort by educators, schools, and communities to teach character and civic virtue. Discusses the role of civic education within the social studies curriculum and the impetus for affirming democratic principles and ideals. Recommends incorporating character education within the traditional subjects of civics, history, and…

Provides a series of guiding principles for schools and other groups for evaluating and designing character education curricula. These include a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that respects all learners and helps them to succeed, moral leadership from both staff and students, and development of a caring community. (MJP)

Emphasizes the power of storytelling, particularly heroic stories of virtue, in moral education. Provides a careful delineation of the differences between modern moral "fables" (a man contemplates stealing drugs for his dying wife) and classical stories involving heroes such as Ulysses and Galahad. (MJP)

Relates how character education can be quickly incorporated into the curriculum when teachers, the school, and the community share mutual goals and work as a team. Outlines some of the techniques used such as devoting each month to a specific character attribute and sending home newsletters to keep parents informed. (MJP)

Addresses some of the concerns surrounding the controversy of religion and public education. Finds some common ground in the ethical issues shared by character education and citizenship education and the nondenominational moral teachings in religious education. Outlines four broad strategies for maintaining productive community discussions. (MJP)

Criticizes the notion that secular humanists and religious educators can equitably agree on a common or middle ground. Maintains that the so-called middle ground is often primarily secular ideology with a token acknowledgment of the validity of religious thought. Argues for a more open discussion with both positions receiving equal consideration.…

Illustrates the need for values and morals education to bridge the gap between what students know and how they behave. The paper discusses the decay of American morals and values, suggesting how they can be incorporated into health education and noting what is required for that to happen. (SM)