Character Education - In-school Programs

In-school Programs

There is no common practice in schools in relation to the formation of pupils' character or values education. This is partly due to the many competing programs and the lack of standards in character education, but also because of how and by whom the programs are executed.

Programs are generally of four varieties: cheerleading, praise and reward, define and drill, and forced formality. They may be used alone or in combination.

Cheerleading involves multicolored posters, banners, and bulletin boards that feature a value or virtue of the month. There may be lively morning public-address announcements, occasional motivational assemblies, and possibly a high-profile event such as a fund-raiser for a good cause.

The Praise-and-reward approach seeks to make virtue into habit using positive reinforcement. Elements include "catching students being good" and praising them, or giving them chits they can exchange for privileges or prizes. In this approach, all too often, the real significance of the students' actions is lost, as the reward or award becomes the primary focus.

3) Define-and-drill calls on students to memorize a list of values and the definition of each. Students' simple memorization of definitions seems to be equated with development of the capacity for making moral decisions.

4) Forced-formality focuses on strict, uniform compliance with specific rules of conduct, (i.e., walking in lines, arms at one's sides), or formal forms of address ("yes sir," "no ma'am"), or other procedures deemed to promote order or respect of adults.

"These four approaches aim for quick behavioral results, rather than helping students better understand and commit to the values that are core to our society, or helping them develop the skills for putting those values into action in life's complex situations."

Generally, the most common practitioners of character education in the United States are school counselors, though there is a growing tendency to include other professionals in schools and the wider community. Depending on the program, the implementation may be by teachers or other adults (faculty, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, maintenance staff, etc.); by storytelling via books and other media; or by embedding in classroom curriculum. There are many theories about means, but no comparative data and no consensus in the industry as to what, if any, approach is effective.