Character Counts

The author examines the various characteristics of integrity, explaining what each is, giving contemporary and biblical examples, and interpreting practical steps to develop that quality in our lives.

Character Counts contains brief biographical and reflective chapters about four remarkable world figures who not only withstood the extreme adversities of their offices and circumstances but flourished and grew under pressure to become people who made a difference in their times.

In this book Peter Smagorinsky and Joel Taxel analyze the ways in which the perennial issue of character education has been articulated in the United States, both historically and in the current character education movement that began in earnest in the 1990s. The goal is to uncover the ideological nature of different conceptions of character education. The authors show how the current discourses are a continuation of discourse streams through which character education and the national purpose have been debated for hundreds of years, most recently in what are known as the Culture Wars--the intense, often passionate debates about morality, culture, and values carried out by politicians, religious groups, social policy foundations, and a wide range of political commentators and citizens, in which the various stakeholders have sought influence over a wide range of social and economic issues, including education. The centerpiece is a discourse analysis of proposals funded by the United States Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI). Discourse profiles from sets of states that exhibit two distinct conceptions of character are examined and the documents from particular states are placed in dialogue with the OERI Request for Proposals. One profile reflects the dominant perspective promoted in the U.S., based on an authoritarian view in which young people are indoctrinated into the value system of presumably virtuous adults through didactic instruction. The other reflects the well-established yet currently marginal discourse emphasizing attention to the whole environment in which character is developed and enacted and in which reflection on morality, rather than didactic instruction in morality, is the primary instructional approach. By focusing on these two distinct regions and their conceptions of character, the authors situate the character education movement at the turn of the twenty-first century in the context of historical notions about the nature of character and regional conceptions regarding the nature of societal organization. This enlightening volume is relevant to scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and students across the field of education, particularly those involved in character education, moral development, discourse analysis, history and cultural foundations of education, and related fields, and to the wider public interested in character education.

Many teachers want to contribute to children's moral development, but this desire has not always resulted in a profound grasp of what 'moral education' really means, why it would be desirable and how it can best be achieved. This book confronts these questions by examining what Aristotelian virtue ethics can illuminate about moral education. At the same time, it evaluates whether Aristotelian theory can still be useful for contemporary educational practice. The argument culminates in a morally justified and psychologically realistic account of how virtue can best be taught in schools. The approach, called 'character education', sees moral education not as enforcing rules or transferring values in separate subjects. Instead, it encourages teachers to be a 'morally exemplary teacher', which is revealed through all kinds of small decisions and emotional reactions. This philosophical essay takes a constructive but critical stance towards empirical research about the effectiveness of teaching methods and the realism of character traits.

This publication covers the hearing held on March 1, 2000, in Washington, DC, before the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families of the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives on the role of character education in U.S. schools. The publication contains the following: "Statement of Mr. Michael N. Castle, Chairman, Subcommittee on Early Childhood Youth and Families, Representative from Delaware"; "Statement of Mr. Dale Kildee, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families, Representative from Michigan"; "Statement of Ron Kinnamon, Coalition Vice-Chairperson, Character Counts! Coalition"; "Statement of Diane Berreth, Deputy Executive Director, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development"; "Statement of Esther Schaeffer, Executive Director and CEO, Character Education Partnership"; "Statement of Andrew Shue, Co-Founder, Do Something"; "Statement of Sheldon Berman, Superintendent of Schools, Hudson Public Schools"; "Appendix A--The written statement of Michael N. Castle, Chairman, Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families, Representative from Delaware"; "Appendix B--The written statement of Dale Kildee, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families, Representative from Michigan"; "Appendix C--The written statement of Ron Kinnamon, Coalition Vice-chairperson, Character Counts! Coalition"; "Appendix D--The written statement of Diane Berreth, Deputy Executive Director and CEO, Character Education Partnership"; "Appendix E--The written statement of Esther Schaeffer, Executive Director and CEO, Character Education Partnership"; "Appendix F--The written statement of Andrew Shue, Co-Founder, Do Something"; and "Appendix G--The written statement of Sheldon Berman, Superintendent of Schools, Hudson Public Schools." (BT)

Contemporary schools require far more than just "the three R's". Beyond the books and tests, educational facilities are expected to produce members of society with integrity, as well. Character education is an abstract idea that many educators, both teachers and administrators, have a difficult time implementing, and too often it gets left out of the curriculum. How do school personnel, then, instill values of good character in students, and as an administrator, how do you spread these values to the entire school? DeRoche and Williams provide school leaders with an effective road map, touring schools that have achieved success. The authors divide the reader's journey through reform efforts into several "tour stops," beginning with a review of the character education framework, passing through subjects such as school climate, core values, training personnel, forming relationships, and concluding with guidelines for evaluation. Each "stop" contains a list of helpful articles or books, as well as valuable Internet resources. The conclusion of the journey is ultimately the responsibility of school leaders, but this book will give you a head start.

Values, attitudes, and beliefs have been depicted in movies since the beginning of the film industry. Educators will find this book to be a valuable resource for helping explore character education with film. This book includes an overview of the history of character education, a discussion of how to effectively teach with film, and a discussion about analyzing film for educational value. This book offers educators an effective and relevant method for exploring character education with today’s digital and media savvy students. This book details how film can be utilized to explore character education and discusses relevant legal issues surrounding the use of film in the classroom. Included in this book is a filmography of two hundred films pertaining to character education. The filmography is divided into four chapters. Each chapter details fifty films for a specific educational level (elementary, middle, high school, and postsecondary). Complete bibliographic information, summary, and applicable character lesson topics are detailed for each film. This book is clearly organized and expertly written for educators and scholars at the elementary, middle, high school, and postsecondary levels.