Character Education is a national movement creating schools that foster ethical, responsible, and caring young people by modeling and teaching good character through an emphasis on universal values that we all share. It is the intentional, proactive effort by schools, districts, and states to instill in their students important core, ethical values such as respect for self and others, responsibility, integrity, and self-discipline. It provides long-term solutions that address moral, ethical, and academic issues that are of growing concern about our society and the safety of our schools. Character education is not an "add on" to the existing curriculum. To be effective, it should be integrated across the curriculum, thus promoting high self-esteem and the acquisition of school success.

This course will assist teachers and administrators in understanding the rationale for character education in the schools and will help them to become familiar with specific methods for adopting a school-wide approach to character education. Participants will also become familiar with the research base supporting character education in the schools, particularly the Twelve Guiding Principles of Exceptional Character and the Eleven Principles of Character Education Theories.

Course Syllabus