Discusses Maria Montessori's five pedagogical guidelines for her Cosmic Education concept: starting with the larger context; treating planet Earth as a cosmic organism; stressing similarities among seemingly different groups of people, organisms, or objects; showing chains of interdependence among all things; and examining behavior from a cosmic…

Presents the historical development of civic and moral education from the perspective of five periods. Addresses the differences in political ideology and the relationship to civic and moral education. Discusses the three types of responses to the controversy of character education content and issues related to methods in character education. (CMK)

Addresses the need for art teachers to help students develop an empathetic awareness for others. Describes moral-cognitive learning as a means for encouraging empathy where a connection between the students and teacher must be made while a connection between self and ideas is also necessary; imagination also affects students' ability to care. (CMK)

Ponders issue of schools, school prayer, and religion. Shows how a teachable moment can promote moral and societal values without imposing specific views of any particular religion. Argues that religious perspectives can and should be part of the study of art, literature, and history, and that books can be used as literary sources linking religion…

Examines teachers' eroding authority regarding curriculum, moral education, and ethical rigor. The destruction of the Second Temple (AD 70) produced an authority crisis in Jewish society when high priests and ritual sacrifices were eliminated. In response, rabbis redefined authority and vested it in the teacher-student relationship. (Contains 11…

Argues that unethical behavior is caused by a corruption of the construal process and is driven by a desire for personal gain and results from an erroneous conclusion that an unethical action is morally acceptable. Contrasts this argument to the constructivist theory of unethical behavior as a moral judgment/behavior breakdown. (CMK)

Describes the scope and difficulty of ethical issues that face every center director; advises professionals to access the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct as a source of guidance. Describes the ethical dimensions of the directorship and the role that the director plays in promoting professional ethics. Advocates future dialogue to craft additional…

It is an odd mark of this time that the first question people ask about character education is whether public schools should be doing it at all. The question is odd because it invites everyone to imagine that schooling, which occupies about a third of a child's waking time, somehow could be arranged to play no role in the formation of a child's…

In order to earnestly carry out the spirit of Comrade Jiang Zemin's February 1, 2000, "Conversations on Issues in Education" and his important speech at the Party Central Committee's Ideological and Political Work Conference; further strengthen and improve primary and secondary school (including vocational secondary school) moral…

The AIR model we describe in this article is a practical framework for cultivating reflective inquiry into ethical issues that students, faculty, and administrators experience in the midst of busy daily lives and encounter in classroom discussions in a discipline field. The model is highly adaptable to academic and workplace settings and enables…

Defines ways normative concerns enter into the design and interpretation of empirical research on children's development of justice conceptions. Emphasizes William Damon's stage theory of development. Suggests an alternative research program based on adjustments between the normative and the empirical. Argues this program must focus on children's…

Responds to Robert Kunzman's article about the functional relationship between morality and religious faith. Argues that Kunzman's position undermines religious freedom by not recognizing the diversity among religious belief systems and imposes the beliefs of the religious on those who do not hold religious commitments. (CAJ)

Offers three rebuttals to Nucci. Believes that relationships between God and the good is more complex than Nucci claims. Contends that religious students do not rely entirely on religious dictates in their ethical thinking. Argues that civic respect in a pluralist democracy requires thoughtful engagement with a diversity of ethical thought. (CAJ)

While the challenge of promoting civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions is an ever-present one, there currently seems to be an increased interest in the field of civic education. At the recent Congressional Conferences on Civic Education, the first of five yearly meetings, research reports were presented that document today's youth, by and…

Inmate treatment programs are designed to rehabilitate individuals who are incarcerated and give them the chance for a crime-free life. Previous research shows support for inmate treatment programs and support for moral education programs that have been implemented mostly in school settings. This particular study investigated a moral education…