PANEL OF CONTRIBUTORS: The progress and promise of character education PANEL OF CONTRIBUTORS: The progress and promise of character education (November 15, 2000)

By Hal Urban

I recently returned from the Character Education Partnership's 7th annual national conference in Philadelphia. On the way home I couldn't help reflecting on how I got involved in the character education movement and on the phenomenal growth of it since the early 1990's.

In the late 1980's, after teaching for more than 20 years, I was becoming increasingly aware of trends in our culture that were affecting the lives of my students. Young people's values, attitudes and behavior were changing, and as always, they were an indication of what was going on in the adult world. Some of these trends in the adult world were disturbing. I'm referring specifically to rampant materialism, greed and self-centered behavior, along with an alarming decline in civility and manners.

I shared my belief with other educators that we needed to address these issues and help our young people develop good character traits while we're teaching them academic subjects. They didn't agree. I felt like a voice in the wilderness. "That's not our job," I was told. "That's the parents' responsibility."

While I agree that parents should be the first and most important teachers, the sad truth is that too many children in our country today are growing up without the quality of parental guidance and role modeling that was once considered normal. A study conducted by the University of Michigan tells us that until the late 1980's, the number one influence in the lives of young people was the home.

Today the number one influence is the media. What kind of messages are our kids being bombarded with by TV, movies, video games, the Internet and the music industry? Is it any wonder that their values and work ethic have changed?

Even though I couldn't find other teachers who agreed with me, I became convinced that I was doing my students a disservice if I didn't try to help them develop the qualities they needed to live productive and rewarding lives. So I did what many people with a cause and a passion do -- I wrote a book. "Life's Greatest Lessons (20 Things I Want My Kids to Know)" came out in 1992. While it was gratifying to get published, I still felt like a voice in the wilderness.

Then something wonderful happened and that feeling changed. I discovered another book entitled "Educating for Character: How Our Schools Can Teach Respect and Responsibility." I felt like turning cartwheels right there in the bookstore. I took the book home and devoured it.

Then I wrote to the author, Dr. Thomas Lickona, a university professor in New York. He not only graciously answered, he informed me that there were many educators and other leaders out there who also believed in character education, and that the movement had begun. He invited me to join in, and I became part of the most positive and effective change I've seen in education in my 35 years of teaching.

What is character education? It's helping our kids acquire the right tools for succeeding in life. Teaching them academic subjects alone will not do that. The goal of character education is to help them develop the attitudes and skills necessary to establish satisfying relationships, to set and achieve personal goals and to earn and enjoy feelings of self-worth.

My own definition of character education is simple: bringing out the best in our kids. We do this by promoting the five virtues that were recently acknowledged as most important in an extensive world-wide research project. They are respect, responsibility, honesty, fairness and compassion -- timeless, universal values that transcend all cultures, religions and political beliefs.

Until the 1970's education always had two goals. Aristotle wrote thousands of years ago that we send our children to school for two reasons: so they can become smart and so they can become good. In the 1960's Martin Luther King said, "Intelligence plus character -- that is the goal of true education." And just two months ago Gen. Colin Powell gave a nationally televised address in which he called upon our schools to help young people develop both competence and good character. Those involved in character education applauded loudly. It's time to return to one of our original goals.

Is character education working? A resounding yes! I've had the good fortune to visit schools all over the country that have programs in place. The first word that pops into my mind when I visit them is "clean." I see clean campuses and buildings, hear clean language and see kids dressed cleanly and neatly. I also see courtesy being practiced by everyone -- students, teachers, administrators, custodians, and cafeteria workers.

Most important, I see teaching and learning going on in an atmosphere that can best be described as a caring community. This results in both educators and learners who are more positive, polite and productive. And there's now enough evidence from solid research to prove that schools with effective character education programs show remarkable improvement in the three most critically important areas: attendance, behavior and academic performance. Character education is truly a win-win situation for everyone.

The growth of character education has been steady, inspiring and life-affirming. When I went to my first Character Education Partnership conference in Alexandria, Va. in 1994 there were 60 people there from 12 states. There were two books about character education available. This year's conference had almost 900 people from 32 states and six foreign countries. There were more than 200 books and countless videos, posters, programs, signs and other items.

Character education has become part of a growing movement to return us to a society known for its civility, virtues and old-fashioned goodness. There are many promising signs. Three of the top selling books of the 1990's were Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" (based on the character ethic and the Golden Rule), Daniel Goleman's "Emotional Intelligence" (focusing on self-discipline and empathy) and William Bennett's "The Book of Virtues" (about compassion, work, courage and honesty).

George W. Bush and Al Gore are getting into character education. Both have not only repeatedly and strongly endorsed it, but have said that it should be in all schools, both private and public. I agree, and I look forward to the day that we have it in the Sequoia Union High School District.

Hal Urban teaches at Woodside High School and is a member of the Almanac's Panel of Contributors.