Character Education and Christian Education: Is It Really Happening?

Overview & Synopsis

This paper focuses on the concept for Christian education to be permeated with great moral and ethical teaching. Character education can be the tool for that necessary teaching if consistent with Biblical teaching. There is great demand for the teaching of morality in all schools today, yet is the intention in Christian schools really to teach character? This paper reviews the background and history of both character education and Christian education. It will present practice of the Christian school community in the Seattle area and give implications of a plan for a Bible-based, developmental, character education program for Christian schools from preschool through high school. Appended are "10 Reasons Schools Should Offer Character Education"; "Heritage Christian School Character Development Traits"; and "Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education." (Contains 24 references.) (Author/BT)