Character Education. ERIC Digest.

Overview & Synopsis

Interest in character education is reemerging in light of apparent increases in disaffected students, school violence, voter apathy, declining test scores, and disinterest in community involvement. Character education integrated into the school community is a strategy to help re-engage students, deal with conflict, keep students on task in the learning environment, and reinvest the community with active participation by citizens in political and civic life. This ERIC digest explores: (1) the various definitions of and approaches to character education; (2) divergent points of view on character education in the schools; and (3) sample character education programs. (Cites five sample program Web sites.) (BB)