Hello, scienceteacher-ga!
While there is a wealth of information concerning Character Education
and the positive effects on student behavior and academic achievement,
there are few actual research studies that back up the claims. I have,
however, found several studies performed on a smaller scale which do
reveal a positive correlation between Character Education and
increased academic achievement. I hope you will find them useful.
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OVERVIEW OF CHARACTER EDUCATION
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According to the Character Education Partnership, the goal of
character education is:
"To develop students socially, ethically, and academically by infusing
character development into every aspect of the school culture and
curriculum. To help students develop good character, which includes
knowing, caring about, and acting upon core ethical values such as
respect, responsibility, honesty, fairness, and compassion."
http://www.character.org/resources/qanda/
* One of the basic tenets of character education is that a quality
learning environment promotes an atmosphere conducive to higher
academic achievement.
"When teachers have more time to teach in a civil, respectful
environment, and children feel safe, appreciated and respected - then
real achievement and learning can take place. It?s called a quality
learning environment, and the research shows that how a student feels
about their learning environment and their opportunity for success are
crucial factors in student achievement. The evidence is clear, from
New Mexico, to Ohio, to North Carolina and hundreds of places in
between, academic achievement can be a powerful by product of
successful character education efforts."
From "10 More Good Reasons for Character Education." (as excerpted
from the book, Developing Character For Classroom Success, by Charlie
Abourjilie) Character ed. net.
http://www.charactered.net/parent/tenmore.asp
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DOES CHARACTER EDUCATION LEAD TO HIGHER ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT?
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The Character Education Partnership has highlighted the successes of
various character-based education programs:
"A 2000 evaluation of South Carolina?s four-year character education
initiative, which is a pilot program funded by the U.S. Department of
Education, reports dramatic improvements among both students and
adults. In surveys of South Carolina administrators, the study found
that 91 percent reported improvement in student attitudes, 89 percent
reported improvement in student behavior, 60 percent reported
improvement in academic performance, and more than 65 percent reported
improvement in teacher and staff attitudes, since implementing
character education. The independent study was conducted by the
University of South Carolina?s Center for Child and Family Studies."
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The Child Development Project, a character-building program from the
Oakland-based Developmental Studies Center, has also demonstrated
success in improving academic achievement.
"In three separate studies spanning almost 20 years, the
Developmental Studies Center in Oakland, CA, has documented numerous
positive outcomes for students who have attended elementary schools
that implemented its Child Development Project.... Preliminary
findings from a follow-up study of students in middle school indicate
that, relative to comparison students, former CDP students are more
"connected" to school, work harder and are more engaged in their
middle school classes, and have higher course grades and achievement
test scores."
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"In a study of four schools, using Positive Action, ......achievement
scores improved from an average of the 43rd to an average of the 71st
percentile range after the first year of implementation to an average
of the 88th percentile after two to nine years."
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"Longitudinal studies from the Responsive Classroom program, which
emphasizes social skills and good character, have shown increased
academic performance across several grade levels. Iowa Test of Basic
Skills scores rose 22 percent for the Responsive Classroom students
and only 3 percent for the control group. The Responsive Classroom has
also resulted in above average academic growth between grades four and
eight, decreases in discipline referrals, and increases in pro-social
behaviors."
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Read "Defining and Understanding Character Education." The Character
Education Partnership. http://www.character.org/resources/qanda/
=======
A review of Character Education by David Brooks, Ph.D. makes the
following points concerning the correlation between academic
achievement and character education:
"The skills or habits necessary for academic achievement and the
skills or habits taught through systematic character education are
identical." These common trait include:
Responsibility
Accountability
Perseverance
Trustworthiness
Cooperation
Self-Control
Work Ethic
Caring
Self-Respect
Goal Setting
Decision Making
Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
"In view of the fact that the skills and traits necessary for
achievement on THETEST and the skills and traits learned through
systematic character education programs are identical, it follows that
the introduction of a character education program should be a
fundamental strategy in the effort to increase test scores. Is there
any evidence that the implementation of systematic character education
does, in fact, have a positive effect on academic achievement? The
answer is clearly, yes."
While there have few comprehensive research studies focused on the
results of character education to date (probably because the program
is still relatively new and experimental), the author does mention a
few small-scale studies that have been undertaken within individual
school districts.
* A study conducted at the Kingwood Middle School in Humble, TX
compiled teacher evaluations of students who were involved in
character education. Gains in academic work habits were noted, among
other significant changes.
* "Preliminary analysis of the survey data suggests that character
education programming is expanding in South Carolina and that this
programming is producing positive results. Over half of the
respondents reported improvements in academic performance (60% in 1998
and 65% in 2000) following the implementation of character education."
Brooks concludes with the following statement:
"There is no doubt that well-prepared teachers who have appropriately
disciplined classrooms; focus on academic skills, and teach and expect
students to exhibit good character have higher achievement levels than
those lacking these skills and expectations. Research supports the
natural connection between teaching and learning the skills and habits
of good character and academic achievement."
Read "Increasing Test Scores and Character Education - The Natural
Connection," by B. David Brooks, Ph.D.
http://www.youngpeoplespress.com/Testpaper.pdf
New York - A Study of Four Schools
==================================
A study examining the success of the Pathways to Character Program in
four New York State schools showed a positive impact on academic
achievement.
Some excerpts from the article summary follow:
"During the implementation of the Pathways to Character program,
academic achievement was tracked using the New York State standards on
the English Language Arts (ELA) examination. Scores were tracked over
the four-year period and showed increases in academic achievement
after the character education curriculum was implemented.
* In 3 of the five schools, scores increased after one year of
implementation, the largest increase being 9% over the previous year.
* In one of the two remaining schools, the scores increased after two
years of implementation by 12%.
"While it was impossible to hold all other variables constant,
comparison data provides further evidence of the positive impact on
academic achievement. Three of the five schools provided the option to
teachers to be trained or not to be trained in the Pathways to
Character curriculum. These schools offer a comparison point from
which the character education impact on academic achievement can be
gauged. While the sample sizes are small, it does provide some
evidence that the Pathways to Character curriculum and perhaps
character education in general can positively impact academic
achievement."
* In two of the three schools, the 2001 - 2002 academic scores on the
New York State English Language Arts examination for those students
who participated in the Pathways to Character curriculum were higher
than their peers who did not participate in the character education
program."
"This data suggests that there is a potential for positive increases
in academic achievement for students who participate in a character
education program."
Read more:
http://convention.allacademic.com/aera2004/AERA_papers/AERA_1021_15037a.PDF
California
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"Applications from the 681 elementary schools applying for the
California Distinguished Schools Award in 2000 were randomly selected,
evaluated and scored for character education implementation. Results
were correlated with both the SAT9 and API rankings over a four-year
period from 1999-2002. Schools with higher total character education
implementation tended to have higher academic scores on academic
measures for the year prior to their application, the year of their
application and the subsequent two years. Small but positive
correlations were found between three specific character education
indicators and the total character education score and higher scores
on California's API and the percentage of students scoring at or above
the 50th percentile on the SAT9."
From "The Relationship between Character Education and Academic
Achievement," by Jacques S. Benninga, Marvin W. Berkowitz, Phyllis
Kuehn and Karen Smith. Abstracts. VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 - 2003
http://www3.baylor.edu/~Andrew_Milson/AbstractsPage.html
Utah
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"Mound Fort Middle High School has approximately 650 students, with a
transient student population of approximately 50 percent, as well as
the challenge of 6 major gangs, said Principal Tim Smith. Character
education has helped the school to create a Community of Caring, by
focusing on respect, family, responsibility, caring and trust. Service
learning is a major activity and students read to residents of nursing
homes and to pre-school and elementary students. Smith said that there
was a direct correlation between character education and academic
performance. SAT test scores for students increased in reading
comprehension from 35 in 1995 to 63 in 1998; in reading vocabulary
they increased from 34 to 45; and in a combined math score, they
increased from 31 to 45. Smith said, "the students score higher in
math and reading not because we are doing more academics, but because
we are making them feel better about themselves."
From "Character Education Makes a Difference: Reinvigorating the Work
of Schools." A Forum Brief. (Dec 4, 1998) American Youth Policy Forum.
http://www.aypf.org/forumbriefs/1998/fb120498.htm
An assessment of 59 Schools in the Learning for Life Project
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"Students in the Learning for Life classes made some important gains.
Some key findings of this study are:
Post-Test Scores Were Higher
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"Students in the Learning for Life classes showed a 20 percent gain in
appropriate responses from the pre-test to the post-test. This
compared with the much lower gain of only 6 percent in students in the
non-Learning for Life classes."
Lesson Scores Were Higher
-------------------------
"Students in the Learning for Life classes scored higher on
questionnaires related to issues taught in the lessons than did
students in the non-Learning for Life classes. This was true for all
eight lessons and at each grade level."
Second-Graders Gained the Most
------------------------------
"On almost all scores, the second-grade students in the Learning for
Life classes showed the greatest gain in the number of appropriate
responses. This suggests the importance of reaching students at an
early age with this kind of instruction."
Read "Assessment Findings: Character Building with Learning for Life."
A research study conducted by Syndics Research Corporation and Dr.
Kevin Ryan, Boston University, for Learning for Life. (2002)
http://www.learning-for-life.org/lfl/about/study/
Mega Skills Character Education
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"The Austin, TX (1992), Independent School District tracked 1196
students in grades pre K-6 and found that students whose parents
participated in the program showed: Higher scores on statewide
achievement tests, higher attendance rates, fewer discipline problems,
higher test scores than the national average."
See "Research on MegaSkills Program Effectiveness. (1990-2003)"
http://www.megaskillshsi.org/rmpe9003.htm
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ADDITIONAL READING
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"School as Caring Community," by Jean Tepperman. Action Alliance for
Children (1977) http://www.4children.org/news/9-97cdp.htm
"When Students Do Not Feel Motivated for Literacy Learning: How a
Responsive Classroom Culture Helps," by Penny Oldfather. University of
Georgia
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/clic/nrrc/rspon_r8.html
An extensive database of articles related to Character Education
(though not focused on academic achievement) may be found at:
http://reading.indiana.edu/chared/rsrchschol.html
==
I hope the studies I have referenced provide the information that you need!
Sincerely,
umiat
Google Search Strategy
"character education
"character education" AND achievement
research AND character education
higher test scores with "character education"
Responsive Classroom
South Dakota Survey of the Character Counts Program (2000)
Responsive Classroom |
