A group of 255 civil engineering students in cooperative education programs responded to 12 hypothetical professional ethics situations in core areas of public interest. Findings showed that (1) co-op influences change from rule-based to act-based ethics; (2) students face ethical dilemmas during co-op; and (3) students considered the consequences…

Teaching ethical values is often challenged as an infringement on students' religious rights. This article addresses key questions concerning schools' legal responsibilities, courts' treatment of curriculum-related challenges based on alleged First Amendment violations, and courts' handling of teacher proselytizing or "opting out" cases.…

Controversy over a proposed outcome-based-education package in Pennsylvania forced school reformers to eliminate explicit values instruction from the curriculum. Although respect and responsibility were agreed-upon moral values, tolerance was not. Proponents erred by failing to publicize and promote positive aspects of the reform, underestimating…

Praises Ann V. Angell's efforts to document her experiments with student democracy in the classroom but critiques the experiment as having a limited view of democracy. Provides a rationale for a broader view of democracy in the classroom and provides examples from the authors' teaching experiences. (DSK)

Attempts to place a neglected dimension of John Dewey's work into its proper context. Examines the works of Dewey, F. Matthias Alexander, and Daniel Goldman to create four domains that must be addressed by a truly comprehensive model of moral education: direct external, indirect external, direct internal, and indirect internal. (DSK)

Studies a program that used cognitive techniques to improve moral reflectivity in primary school children in Spain. Claims to have succeeded in increasing reflectivity in the experimental group in comparison with a control group. Argues that this investigation opens new ways for interventions in the field of moral development. (DSK)

Observes that educators often take for granted that toleration should be promoted in schools, especially in multicultural societies. Shows that the issue of promoting tolerance is controversial and its value needs careful consideration. Concludes that schools should promote toleration as a necessary but insufficient part of broader moral…

The superintendent of the Hudson Public Schools in Massachusetts describes educators' challenges to educate disaffected and disaffiliated youth. Recent research shows that prosocial behavior is stimulated by unity of one's sense of self and one's morality, sense of connectedness to others, and sense of meaning arising from contributing to…

Nationwide, child-murder arrests are rising while suspects' ages are dropping. Self-centered behavior is rampant. Schools should explain character-education programs to parents, get everyone's commitment, acknowledge virtuous behavior, provide adequate staff development, seek moral lessons in every class, and distinguish moral debates from…

Reviews a two-horned dilemma faced when teaching values in the humanities classroom. Identifies the two horns as the demand for traditional value-centered education and the rapidly shifting cultural patterns of postmodern society. Explains an approach to value-centered education developed for use in an introductory humanities course. (DSK)

The Character Education Partnership aims to surround students with an environment that exhibits, teaches, and encourages practice in internalizing and exemplifying needed social values. Ten schools selected for a recent study illustrate successful efforts to build caring, respectful, and responsible children and adults. A sidebar lists 11…

Makes a case for teaching integrity in the classroom through writing assignments and case studies of ethical situations that teenagers would face in their daily lives. (TB)

Enhances understanding of values-education issues by addressing research on moral and ethical development. Presents Damon's tripartite distinction among moral reflection, moral emotion, and moral conduct--head, heart, and habit--to show moral development's complexity. Although promoting prosocial behavior is parents' responsibility, literature is…

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…

Examines what values and virtues schools should cultivate in students as part of a program of moral or citizenship education, noting how these values and virtues differ based on historical and political contexts. The article focuses on four recent volumes on moral and citizenship education. (SM)