At the Earth Summit held at Rio in June 1992, the leaders of more than 170 countries were able to adopt by consensus a common global strategy, an agenda for action, namely Agenda 21, that envisions a future that will be prosperous, equitable, and sustainable. This book contains a collection of essays by leading environmental philosophers,…

Training in ethics helps professionals to act as moral persons in the practice of their profession, developing an eye for subtlety and detail in matters of morality. A professional code of ethics does not provide a set of "do's and don'ts" for every situation; rather, its purpose is to draw the professional's attention to the most…

This paper presents findings of a study that identified the levels of moral development and ethical reasoning processes of school board members and school district attorneys. The two groups were selected because of the quasi-judicial role that board members play and because of the increasing legalization of the schooling process. A survey of 155…

The Integrated Character Education model recognizes both the affective and cognitive factors involved in educating the whole child and ultimately the responsible adult. The basic question is how to transmit the values of a common heritage from one generation to the next, while supporting the personal development of youth. The goals of Integrated…

This research paper critiques the philosophical basis, developmental appropriateness, and effectiveness of a school honor system and questions whether a school honor system is still an appropriate tool for character instruction in the twenty-first century. Characteristics which induce a subculture of academic deceit, as well as attributes which…

This paper proposes that a general framework of moral education, namely Thomas Green's "voices of conscience" can provide a starting point for exploring the role of moral education in museums. The first part of the paper summarizes Green's framework and discusses how that framework can be applied to education in museums. The second part…

This study examined what teachers' professional knowledge was about, how it was organized, and how it could be described. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 elementary school teachers in Helsinki, Finland. The teachers were selected from a group who had supervised teacher trainees in their own classrooms. Data analysis…

This document describes the use of the case study method of behavioral science research in an investigation of exceptional moral commitment. The aim of the study was to learn more about the nature, development, and expression of this kind of exceptional commitment. The paper discusses why this particular research method was chosen as the most…

Cultural context is not the sole source of human knowledge. Postmodern theory, in both its deconstructionist and affirmative approaches, offers an incomplete basis by which to study race, class, and gender, and undermines ethical interaction. Deconstructionism calls for the abandonment of generalizable research findings, asserting that the concept…

This paper describes the development of a character education program that is based on the concept of a "whole village partnership." The partnership was formed by a retiring chief executive officer (CEO) of a major corporation, who sought ways to help his community rededicate itself to the "core" values of democracy. The project is supported by a…

A value-based approach to the study and application of ethical principles is proposed. After a brief introduction to the problems of the concept of value within the framework of ethical theory, it is demonstrated that values are epistemological predicates. This "predicate" understanding of value statements is used to critique a popular…

Although Kohlberg has stated that his moral reasoning theory is a refinement of Jean Piaget's and John Dewey's approaches, some educators have concluded that Kohlberg has misinterpreted Dewey's approach. However, the statement that Kohlberg is not of the Deweyan tradition seems unfounded. Actually, a thorough examination shows that numerous…

This discussion encompasses how people come to recognize moral obligations, how they arrive at moral judgments of themselves and others, and how the individual employs moral judgments to guide his own behavior. (Author/AM)

Reviews the literature from the three standpoints of learning theory, psycho-analysis, and cognitive developmental theory and suggests that investigations explore specific socialization practices that contribute to both personal integration and moral maturity. (Author/AM)

Law School Admissions Tests (LSAT), bar examinations, and legal clinic courses in law schools, the author holds, influence legal education toward technical proficiency and away from the mind-expanding traditional role of liberal arts. "Where are we going?" gives way to "How fast can we get there?" (JT)