Character education specialists seem to know it when they see it, but what it means to call something a character education program remains unclear. One possible source for this uncertainty is the manner in which character education has been defined. By identifying certain features as necessary, existing definitions fail to encompass the universe…

Typical ethical dilemmas confronted by educational administrators and their normative levels of ethical reasoning are identified in this two-phase study. The first phase, which involves in-depth interviews with 23 principals, applies the Van Hoose and Paradise (1979) developmental model of ethical reasoning to self-reports of decision making…

Examines management approaches in ethical terms, arriving at numerous criteria applicable to educational administration. Discusses scientific management, morally neutral concepts, hyperrationalization, tightening of controls, and the business/industry model as having eclipsed or confused the moral dimensions of education. Calls for enlarged moral…

This article puts forth some of the concepts and complexities involved in teaching secondary students ethical and aesthetic reasoning skills as well as the ideas of and debates throughout history. It is argued that curricula should connect holistically to the intellectual and emotional hierarchies of the gifted personality. (PB)

This 72-item bibliography presents an overview of publications related to moral development. The listing includes books and articles related to individual moral character development and how schools are involved in the development process. (EH)

Argues that two-year college business programs need to provide moral guidance and leadership to students to help stem the proliferation of fraudulent and questionable financial reporting practices. Reviews amoral and moral unity theories of business ethics. Discusses barriers to ethical instruction in business curricula, and ways to overcome them.…

Reports a study involving students who were exposed to an educational intervention curriculum designed to facilitate moral development. Describes a means of promoting moral reasoning through conceptualizing and integrating essential philosophical concepts. Concludes that the curriculum is effective in stimulating moral development and principled…

Student activities programing, viewed as essential to the college experience, is defended by outlining some of the values and growth opportunities it provides for students. Several specific programing strategies useful as catalysts in values development are described, including values clarification exercises, multicultural programing, and…

Asserts that much of moral philosophy is an exercise in constructing theories for an ideal world. Contends that human beings are the basic subject of morality, not moral principles or theories. Maintains that consistent effort and trust building can bridge the gap across socioeconomic categories. (CFR)

Contends that for 30 years the study of moral development has been prominent in psychology and education. Argues that there are two major cognitive components underlying moral action: (1) the interpretation of moral situations; and (2) the resolution of moral conflicts. Discusses this viewpoint in relation to moral orientation and moral character.…

Discusses the relationship between Lawrence Kohlberg's cognitive-stage theory as a further development of Piaget's moral theory. Argues Kohlberg describes moral thought and not the formation of the independent moral function. Finds Kohlberg's major interest is in the characteristics of stages of individual moral reasoning and the principle of…

Contends that there is a growing trend in moral philosophy to return to the use of examples from everyday life to analyze moral virtue and character traits. Recommends the use of vignettes from well-known literature and actual contemporary events to illustrate moral dilemmas and ethical choices. (CFR)

This paper discusses the work of Emile Durkheim and his interest in developing a science of ethics that would enable the social sciences to guide social and political policy. One of his main policy interests was education, specifically the construction of moral values. Durkheim proposed a secular approach to morality and moral education. Moral…

There is a widely felt need to do something in education about the moral wasteland of contemporary American society. It is appropriate for English teachers to posit some usable dimensions of moral education. Seven cornerstone principles appear to be universally involved both in the lives of literary characters and in the kind of heart-deep…

This article offers guidelines drawn from the last 200 years of ethical theory to aid educators in discerning between "uncontroversial" questions to which they can assume the correct answer is known and legitimately "controversial" questions requiring great care to be fair to the various points of view. (Author/DCS)