Educational Leadership articles from November 1993

Educational Leadership archives from November 1993

The return of character education. (the Character Education Partnership Inc)
November 1, 1993... Increasing numbers of people across the ideological spectrum believe that our society is in deep moral trouble. The disheartening signs are everywhere: the breakdown of the family; the deterioration of civility in everyday life; rampant greed...

On transmitting values: a conversation with Amitai Etzioni.
November 1, 1993... As important as English and science and math are, integrating the teaching of values in the curriculum is more important. You're associated with a movement that talks about a need for a balance between rights and responsibilities. What...

Mining the values in the curriculum. (the idea of the "good person" in education)
November 1, 1993... Schools need to take a stronger role in helping the young to discover the good and learn to become individuals of character. While the development of a child's character is clearly not the sole responsibility of the school, historically...

What makes character education programs work?
November 1, 1993... Eleven elements are essential if character education programs are to improve student conduct and enrich the educational environment. The bell rang at Limerick Elementary School in Canoga Park, California, and students made their way to...

Actions speak louder than words: what students think. (moral education)
November 1, 1993... According to students, teachers "have to follow the rules themselves" in order to effectively teach character education. What's the most effective way to teach values? According to students, teachers "have to follow the values...

Character education without turmoil. (setting up a moral education curriculum)
November 1, 1993... When districts build commitment from staff and community members from the beginning, the journey to values education doesn't have to be turbulent. Three years ago, when our new superintendent discovered that the district was considering...

PREP: a process, not a recipe. (Personal Responsibility Education Process)
November 1, 1993... The Personal Responsibility Education Process helps schools build consensus about which character traits to reinforce. At Wedgwood School, 5th grade students help kindergartners make bulletin board displays that show "how we are alike."...

Designing an ethics class.
November 1, 1993... Often when I tell people what I teach, they respond with surprise, Ethics? Sounds interesting. I wish I'd had a course like that in high school." I reacted with even stronger surprise when three years ago the head of our school told me that I...

Beyond Anne Frank. (teaching about the Holocaust using literature)
November 1, 1993... Exploring the Holocaust through literature, teachers touch issues that shape the values of their students. "I keep my ideals because, in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart. " I first saw The...

The healing power of altruiism. (helping others benefits at-risk students)
November 1, 1993... For at-risk students, opportunities to help others may provide a way to break the devastating cycle of failure - to substitute caring for anger and replace low self-esteem with feelings of worth. Bill, a 4th grader in a rural community,...

Growing up responsible. (tailoring charity and community work to children's ages and development)
November 1, 1993... From making holiday decorations for a local nursing home to serving food at a homeless shelter, students at a Quaker school participate in service activities designed to match their level of social awareness. Why do some service...

Service learning: character education applied. (service learning programmes)
November 1, 1993... In harmony with ASCD's 1993 resolution on service learning, some districts - Atlanta, St. Louis, and Detroit, for example - have mandated service for several years. But Maryland is the first state to initiate such a requirement (Maryland...

Fostering resiliency in kids. (caring and encouraging resilience in school children)
November 1, 1993... Despite overwhelming adversity, many children successfully manage to bounce back. What personal characteristics make this possible, and how can schools create environments that support these children? Much attention has been focused...

In search of effective character education. (evaluation of projects)
November 1, 1993... The 1990s is not the first time in our history that character education has captured the attention of American educators. In the first three decades of this century, character education became a major preoccupation. Such factors as increasing...

A letter to character educators. (various theories of moral education are questioned)
November 1, 1993... In the tradition of scholarly dialogue, we must examine the claims of character educators in order to clarify our thinking on crucial matters in moral education. Dear Character Educators, I'm writing to ask you to respond to some...

Taking up the mentoring challenge. (mentoring for low school achievement)
November 1, 1993... Mornings are the most demanding. They challenge me to assemble myself and head down a lonely, dark, yet inviting road. By 8:30 a.m. the students will arrive: one by one they will step off buses and proceed into the building. Am I up for this?...

Trading hero cards. (using chosen heros to emphasise values)
November 1, 1993... By borrowing from pop culture, teachers can create a program that teaches students about values and social understanding. Most of us who work around youngsters become frustrated, if not alarmed, at the values that we see them demonstrate...

Toughlove for kids at risk. (the Toughlove method for young people is described)
November 1, 1993... A positive alternative to detention and suspension, Toughlove meetings held at schools help troubled teens learn personal accountability. Sixteen-year-old David's anxious call home was placed from a long-term treatment facility for...

Where sex education went wrong. (chastity education is suggested instead)
November 1, 1993... Most of us are familiar with the alarming statistics about teen sexual activity in the United States. Among high school students, 54 percent (including 61 percent of boys and 48 percent of girls) say they have had sexual intercourse,...

"Abstinence, no buts" is simplistic. (a reply to the previous article by Thomas Lickona on sex education)
November 1, 1993... Only comprehensive sex education can begin to meet the developmental needs of young people and address the reality of their lives. There are no easy answers to the sexual health crisis afflicting our society, including those advocated by...

Addressing sexual harassment in the classroom.
November 1, 1993... When charges of sexual harassment ricocheted around my 8th grade American History classroom, I felt the earth open beneath me. We were discussing Edmund Ross's courage in voting against Johnson's impeachment when one girl began shouting,...

What to do to stop sexual harassment at school.
November 1, 1993... Schools must stop ignoring "adolescent behavior" and do their part to eradicate unacceptable talk and actions. Sexual harassment has been taking place in the schools for years, but only recently has it begun to get the attention it...

Creating a culture of thinking.
November 1, 1993... Students who "see the connections" are more likely to understand and remember what they learn. In the next several issues, David Perkins will explore ways to forge the link between thinking and learning as well as ways schools can use the...

Using scaffolding to teach writing.
November 1, 1993... Without question, the ethnic, economic, and cognitive makeup of typical classrooms is becoming increasingly diverse. That increasing diversity, in turn, can severely challenge teachers, whose job is already difficult. While many of the fads...

Home of the Wildcats.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1993... In 91 pages, Joan Cutuly blows away years of inservice and curriculum textbooks. She doesn't tell us; she shows us what is happening to the souls of painfully articulate kids and teachers. The first section, "The Impertinent Question,"...

The Choice Controversy.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1993... People who think school districts or states should not expand choice among public or private schools will like this book; 8 of 10 chapters argue against school choice. The book shows but little recognition of the reasons President Clinton has...

Making School Reform Happen.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1993... At last a lucid, enjoyable account of a reform movement that doesn't try to tell us what is wrong with American schools. Making School Reform Happen focuses on the positive changes in schools that have embraced the Effective Schools movement....