Does the current drive to incorporate social and emotional learning (SEL) into the K-12 curriculum represent a positive reform that will lead schools to educate the "whole student" and ultimately boost young people's academic success? Or is it a distracting fad that comes with high opportunity costs? Common sense and considerable…

The value that honors programs hold for universities lies in the tangibles. Honors programs help an institution pinpoint and cultivate the talents of its finest students. They help these students achieve undergraduate research and encourage them to seek further inquiry and creative endeavor. They provide the counsel, advising, and encouragement…

This commentary focuses on the promises and challenges facing the Social and Character Development (SACD) consortium in evaluating the effectiveness of seven universal SACD programs designed to enhance student behavior and school climate under conditions of real world practice. In this commentary, we highlight that the opportunity costs associated…

Criticizes character education programs that tend merely to present moral values to students, believing this produces socially responsible behavior. Argues listing values is simplistic and ineffective. Recognizes the situational complexity that confounds making moral choices. Suggests character education must contend with value conflicts and guide…

Encapsulates five brief reports on cutting edge issues in moral education research. Discusses strengths and weaknesses of different administrative approaches to creating a character education program. Addresses the inherent dichotomy between military service and democratic values. Considers issues of data verification and abuse of power. (MJP)

Provides a point/counterpoint investigation into appropriateness of character education as a function of public schools. Lickona describes the implementation and success of various character education curricula across the country, while Skillen suggests that public schools may not be sufficiently pluralistic in their approach to support such…

There has been rising concern about the disconnect between universities, their communities and society at large. This is of special interest to professional schools, whose missions are founded on connecting practice and theory. We argue that cooperative inquiry, an action-based methodology, can help foster connectedness and contribute to healing…

A two-pronged theory underlying literacy campaigns suggests that (1) the prevailing ideology of a society will determine the objectives of the literacy campaign as well as the language of justification used by the development elite in the promotion of adult literacy; and (2) the ideology, as expressed in the political culture of a society, will…

The valid interpretation of information related to the outcomes of vocational education is a persistent and profound problem of the profession. Some of the reasons for this problem are difficulties of communication, problems of definition, problems of collecting and interpreting data, and lack of documentation. The primary problem appears to be…

Discusses a normative strategy toward pricing human services, which will allow providers to develop pricing strategies within the context of organizational missions, goals, and values. Pricing is an effective tool for distributing resources and improving efficiency, and can be used as a tool for encouraging desired patterns of service utilization.…

This report chronicles the record of the Reading First program as a research-based approach to teaching children to read, from early successes as a strict program whose funding would be distributed to states and districts using reading curricula whose effectiveness had been validated by scientific study, to one of eased eligibility that permitted…

Identifies four major problem areas in current moral education research. Reviews research programs to determine their effectiveness. Identifies the elements of moral psychology. Examines possible alternative pathways of moral development. Relates individual moral development to group morality. Concludes with some broad guidelines for future…

This article critically appraises the success of the Back To Education Allowance (BTEA) in removing barriers to participation in 3rd level education for welfare recipients in Ireland. The paper is based on empirical data from focus group and in-depth qualitative interviews with 3rd level students on the BTEA. This study argues that it is…

The author discusses the importance of reestablishing effective programs of moral and civic education. He examines academic freedom, educational philosophy, the role of education, the relationship between moral and ethical training and the well-being of the free society, the dismantling of traditional standards, and preparing the young for…

When criticizing the author's character-education article in the November 1993 "Educational Leadership," William Bennetta fails to acknowledge that nondirective sex education has failed. Abstinence is not the Religious Right's invention, but is the only medically safe, morally responsible choice for unmarried teenagers. The Teen-Aid and…