0.1 Character education: a critical analysis; robert tatman, stacey  (Page 7/16)

One vital component of a child’s education at school is values learning. Matera (2001) noted that, “Most Americans will tell you that character education in schools is a good idea. According to pollsters, 90% of us want schools to teach core moral values” (p. 191). Delattre and Russell (1993) purported that, “The development of good character cannot be separated from the basic purposes of education - to lead persons out of ignorance and helplessness so that they have the chance to lead positive, purposeful, productive lives for themselves” (p. 42). For Kilpatrick (1992), “Schools are or can be, one of the main engines of social change. They can set the tone of society in ways no other institution can match” (p. 226). Schools are in an opportunistic position to teach character and should make character education part of their campus and district plan for reform and improvement. For Kilpatrick (1992), “The core problem facing our schools is a moral one. All the other problems derive from it. Hence, all the various attempts at school reform are unlikely to succeed unless character education is put at the top of the agenda” (p. 225). In terms of school reform, Kilpatrick (1992) asserted that “even academic reform depends on putting character first” (p. 225).

The importance of character education cannot be overstated. Doyle (1997) noted that “values are the engine that defines and drives culture” (¶ 4), and that “just as children must learn to read, they must learn to be good. Like faith, morality must be acquired. The social and psychological restraints imposed by culture are what dissuade children from ‘bad’ behavior and incline them toward good” (¶ 7). Doyle (1997) also poignantly wrote that to “abandon education’s historic mission to shape character - to fail to try to turn boys into men and girls into women- flies in the face of history and reason” (¶ 10). Secondly, for Doyle (1997) there are good and bad values, as well as right and wrong values. Unfortunately, schools have the potential to shape character for the better or for the worse.

For Lunenburg and Ornstein (2000), “The crux of the issue can be simply stated: Should schools teach a set of values as a framework for determining, or at least influencing, subject content and its organization, broad issues and tasks, or what belief systems and attitudes should guide students’ actions?” (p. 472). Lunenburg and Ornstein (2000) advocated for schools implementing a values-centered curriculum. Schools will impact students’ character regardless if efforts are unwitting or purposefully tied to the school’s overall educational program. A disorderly school will influence students negatively just as an orderly school will influence in a positive direction (Etzioni, 1998b). Schools become better places for everyone when they are civil and caring human communities that promote, teach, celebrate and hold students and staff accountable to the values on which good character is based (Etzioni, 1998b).

Benefits validating character education

According to Ryan et al. (1996), “True character education is the hinge upon which academic excellence, personal achievement, and true citizenship depend” (¶ 2). In terms of organizational management, 85% of principals studied identified ‘non-academic student behavior’, including discipline and drugs, as “significant and highly significant problems or issues in organizational management” (DiPaola&Tschannen-Moran, 2003, p. 52). However, a variety of school and student benefits have been associated with effective character education programming. For example, research demonstrating positive results of character education implementation also demonstrated a positive correlation between a school’s culture and climate and the behavior of students that is related to 16 sets of character traits (Lunenburg&Bulach, 2005). In another study, a significant positive relationship between student achievement and character scores was demonstrated (Lunenburg&Bulach, 2005). Consequently, according to Lunenburg and Bulach (2005), a school interested in high performance must make character education an integral component because a meaningful relationship exists between a school’s culture/climate, character behavior, and student achievement. “This character education program, if it is to be successful, must involve the entire school community, that is, all faculty, students, parents, and all other citizens” (Lunenburg&Bulach, 2005, p.5.2).