Stripped of its specific movement or leaders, character education in its greater sense is almost impossible to extricate from public school education. Whether we expect to for it to be the case or not, the process of group education provides learners with models (for good and for ill) of different ways of caring, mentoring, and social interaction. That comprises character education, largely of the unintentional variety.
When character education is left wholly to chance (unintentional and unprincipled), then some families will choose parochial schools or homeschooling in order to counteract “godlessness” and “lack of values” in the schools. However, when character education is implemented (intentional and principled), then other families will choose parochial or non-sectarian schools or homeschooling in order to redress grievances related to anti-religious or liberal “substitute theologies” introduced by character education. Some families go further and bring lawsuits, on First Amendment grounds, that certain types of Character Education programs separate the separation of Church and State.
There have already been examples of Character Education efforts that provoked lawsuits. One was brought a couple of years ago in Ohio. A health and human ecology teacher instructed students to deal with stress through guided meditation. The family objected, stating that such practices interfered with their religious guidance of the pupil. The family sued successfully to terminate the curriculum, on First Amendment grounds.
Below I have pulled some bulleted points from a lecture about what teachers and schools practicing Character Education should do. It appears to me that some practices are no different from what al teachers do, all the time. Others may be acceptable, provided the “content” and “context” are right. But others, given the right mix of students, parents, and conditions, could start a “church-and-state” fire!
Individual Teachers who provide Character Education are called upon to
• Act as a caregiver, model, and mentor
• Create a moral community
• Practice moral discipline
• Create a democratic classroom environment
• Teach values through the curriculum
• Use cooperative learning
• Develop the conscience of craft
• Encourage moral reflection
• Teach conflict resolution
Entire schools committed to Character Education are tasked with other tasks:
• Fostering caring beyond the classroom
• Creating a positive moral culture in the school
• Recruit parents and the community as partners
I don’t know for sure, but it seems to me that not all of those activities will pass the Lemon test, at least not for all students in all schools in all locations!
Can't say that I have read much on Character Education, but do know a bit about the law of separation of church and stae. It is important, I think, to note that religion does not have a monopoly on morality, character, and ethics. Hardly. While individuals and societies may differ on questions of morality and values, and that may complicate the task of public schools in this regard, one may tackle the task and endeavor to foster character and values without resorting to religious doctrine.
ReplyDeleteHi, Doug! Welcome to the blog. Very neat to find a new face around here.
ReplyDeleteYes--I think the right word is "complicate." It seems that when intentional and principled efforts at character education are to be undertaken, it will have to be done with great care and on a district-by-district basis.
Usually districts can use off-the-shelf curricula for core subjects. However, many of the currently-available prepackaged character education curricula, however nicely done, are nearly guaranteed to run afoul of the religious beliefs of people of various faiths.
Districts will have to decide whether it is better to use a packaged curricula and plan for dissent and debate, or whether it is better to integrate discussions of ethics and values into, say, social studies, literature, health, and human ecology classes. It is, as you say, "complicated."
awd