0.1 Character education: a critical analysis; robert tatman, stacey  (Page 8/16)

Thus, varied and multiple benefits provide schools ample motivations for both campus and district-wide character education implementation. Supportive groundwork for substantiating the importance of instituting character education includes the positive impact on student academic achievement, student behavior, and school-related behaviors. Determination of positive program results for character education in schools is important since, “Character education…ought to be about public, measurable, and explicit virtues with real-life, practical consequences. Character education at its best is not private and it is not for its own sake” (Rivers, 2004, p. 258). Though such determinations provide program evaluators a unique set of challenges, the level of impact made by a school’s character efforts can help counter the assertion that assertion that it is difficult to measure whether or not consistent and proper character education can help enhance academics (Achen, 2004). In the What Works in Character Education project found that several primary positive outcomes of character education included the reduction of sexual behavior, increased socio-moral cognitive development, problem solving skills, and emotional competency, the reduction of violence, aggression, and drug use, and improved academic achievement (Character Education Partnership, 2003).

The 2005 Comprehensive Annual Report on Texas Public Schools reported that, “About 45 % of districts surveyed reported improved local grades, and nearly 40 % reported improved standardized tests scores…Just over 66 % of districts reported fewer discipline referrals, and almost 39 % reported improved attendance” (Texas Education Agency, 2006, p. 145). According to Harms and Fritz (2001), “Research suggests a correlation between the teaching of character education of youth and its positive ethical results throughout the United States” (¶ 1).

Improved academic achievement

Benninga, Berkowitz, Kuehn, and Smith (2003) reported that, “those schools addressing the character education of their students in a serious, well-planned manner tended also to have higher academic achievement scores” (p. 31). Ryan (2003) called for his readership to “recognize the obvious link between good character and academic achievement” (¶ 8) . According to Ryan (2003), “Students with the good habits that constitute good character do well in school” (¶ 9).

Shriver and Weissberg (2005) related the importance of promoting students’ social and emotional skills since both are so critical to the improvement of academic performance. Shriver and Weissberg (2005) cited a study that demonstrated for the first time that social and emotional learning programs significantly improved students’ academic performance. Students participating in social and emotional learning programs have significantly better attendance, more constructive classroom behavior, less disruptive behavior, more positive feelings toward school, better grade point averages, and are less likely to incur disciplinary consequences (Shriver&Weissberg, 2005). Character education is impacting the classroom in specific subject areas such as mathematics. Latzke (2003) cited one suburban school which saw math scores rise significantly as a result of character education efforts. The school asserted that their their character education efforts contributed to their students’ academic achievement.