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…

Argues that the field of moral psychology is theoretically skewed and lacks a comprehensive model of moral functioning and a compelling conception of moral excellence. Contends that common language understandings of moral maturity are inherently interesting because they affect everyday moral functioning. Concludes that disjunctions between…

Discusses narcissism, child-rearing practices that lead to child-centeredness, and social insensitivity and their implications for instruction. Considers moral education and the moral sense; cultivating the moral sense through technology; and idea and product technologies. Also includes a commentary on the article by Jonathan Ross and a response…

Gives an overview of trends in correctional education and describes a successful program in Delaware that focuses on teaching moral reasoning in addition to academic skills. Describes how the program was designed and offers contacts for those wanting to initiate similar programs. (JOW)

Examines the distinctions and interrelations between necessary and contingent knowledge and relates these concepts to the distinction between scientific and empirical validity. Considers how these distinctions can be applied to an understanding of morality, arguing for a relational rather than absolutist approach to questions of necessity. (JPB)

Discusses character education as a component of the middle school curriculum. Considers a character analysis technique that allows teachers to assess students' values and needs. Presents curriculum application strategies for implementing the program. (JPB)

Uses metaphors to describes roles needed in civil society: the Knight embodies vocational virtues, the Queen is a person learning to act a citizen of a nation-state, and the Archangel seeks to fulfill the moral qualities of a human being. (SK)

Explores the moral domain from a religious educator's perspective in terms of the four distinct yet interrelated processes of awareness, reflection, making commitments, and conduct. Offers suggestions for helping people to name and understand everyday moral concerns from a Christian perspective based upon this four-component model. (VWC)

This paper proposes a lifespan developmental model of critical moral consciousness and examines its implications for education in childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Mature moral consciousness, central to negotiating the challenges of the 21st century, is characterized by a deepening lifelong integration of moral motivation, agency and critical…

We ask three questions: What are the components of young children?s conscience? How are they organized? How does early conscience develop? We discuss the changing perspectives on each of those questions. We describe the shift from a focus on a single component of conscience (moral emotions, conduct, cognition) to a growing emphasis on their…

The author wants to relate a little incident that certainly made her realize that something is lacking in civilizing mechanisms today. She and a friend of hers were having a snack on a weekday afternoon at a fast food restaurant in which a number of people were eating. Near them was a group of schoolgirls talking in loud, piercing voices. Her…

There is no single script for effective character education, but there are some important basic principles. This document presents eleven principles that schools and other groups can use to plan a character education effort and to evaluate available character education programs: (1) Promotes core ethical values and supportive performance values as…

The study examined children's moral reasoning with specific reference to adult interventions, across age and gender. Seventy-two children from the age groups 6-8 years and 10-12 years respectively were presented with two hypothetical vignettes pertaining to Piaget's justice framework of moral reasoning. Chi-square analysis and descriptive analysis…

The research shows that people cannot--and should not--separate how they feel (about themselves, their relationships, their environments) from teaching or learning. It makes the case for social emotional learning (SEL) in schools clear. First, schools are social places and learning is a social process. Students do not learn alone, but rather in…

This paper uses the story of the Wizard of Oz to help explain and understand the vital characteristics and capabilities of a holistic teacher: knowledge, caring and courage. It explores the process of human development as an outcome of developing these faculties and explains their interrelationship so that educators and their students might better…