Purpose: This article focuses on recent developments in the domain of civic education in the French education system, the new programme on "Enseignement moral et civique" (EMC), and the debate about the relevance of the basic values of the Republic which came up after the terror attacks in January 2015. Method: The study is based on a…

This paper presents the research design, rationale, and the results of a historical document-based research project to answer the following two-part question: How do popular and dominant political, social, and economic forces affect the creation and delivery of American history curriculum in public schools between 1890 and 1920 and how is this…

The transmission of moral values has been one of public education's oldest endeavors and is currently one of its newest controversies. Today's complex arguments for and against ethical instruction in schools can be divided into three categories of issues: philosophical, political, and pedagogical. Secondary school leaders are in a key position to…

Addresses the problems of how moral character is developed and what moral character consists of. Emphasizes the development of democratic, ethical dispositions and focuses on two features of an educational environment that are especially important: respect for students as persons and the democratic organization of the groups in which the young…

Ethical instruction is a difficult task in any society, but doubly so in the U.S., because our culture stresses individual development over commitment to the group. Attention to school bonding, special ethics instruction, California's Community of Caring project, and community service opportunities are powerful strategies to aid moral development.…

This collection of papers is divided into three sections. After "Introduction" (Wiel Veugelers and Fritz K. Oser), the first section, "Learning from Morality," includes "On Becoming Moral: How Negative Experience Can Inspire the Moral Person" (Fritz K. Oser); "Who Should I Become? Citizenship, Goodness, Human…

Discusses the feasibility of Kohlberg's "just community" concept for preschool children. Kohlberg showed that elementary and secondary school students could operate in participatory democracies. Despite lower levels of cognitive development, Montessori preschool children demonstrated their ability to participate within a simplified…

Colleges and universities can communicate expectations for students' moral, ethical, and character development through both the environment it creates and the formal curriculum, particularly through stated goals. A model of moral development provides insights into the processes needed to foster moral behavior, and the experiences of other…

Democratic educators should take Arendt's conservatism seriously. Arendt's conception of authority shares fundamental assumptions with mainstream conservative views, although her political philosophy is heavily influenced by existentialism. This paper argues that Arendt's view of authority in education constitutes an alternative to other…

The relationship between moral thinking at the level of specific rules and precepts and at the abstract, universal level is discussed, and it is argued that the first-level virtues are as necessary as those based on abstraction. The demands of education for moral life in a pluralistic society are considered. (PP)

Explores the meaning of distributive justice and considers the importance of teaching the concept in social studies classes. Delineates characteristics of reasonable arguments for treating people differently to bring about justice. Presents situations to generate classroom discussion of the concept of justice. (NL)

The major purpose of this book is to set out some of the key issues and debates relating to the importance of values in education and of education in values. After an introductory chapter about the concept of values and values education, part 1 provides a variety of perspectives on the values that underpin contemporary education. The introduction…

The teaching of moral values should involve the building of considerable structure that can easily be integrated into the existing curriculum. This program would contain seven components: personalizing the environment, building community feeling, cooperative learning, developing awareness, encouraging self-respect and respect for others, and…

The Child Development Project (CDP) was designed to enhance the development of prosocial characteristics in school children in kindergarten through sixth grade. It was developed and evaluated in a school district (San Ramon) in the San Francisco, California area. The features of the program include: (1) an instructional approach that enhances…

Examines recent developments related to the teaching of values in public schools. Maintains that the character education movement supports direct teaching of a set of core values designed to foster civic virtue. Discusses the "six pillars of character" being promoted in the United States by the Character Education Partnership. (CFR)