Comments on: Resistance to Character Education http://www.character.org/blog/2012/02/resistance-to-character-education/ Thu, 07 Mar 2013 05:55:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Hifihttp://www.character.org/blog/2012/02/resistance-to-character-education/#comment-113 Hifi Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:12:38 +0000 http://www.character.org/?p=5916#comment-113 I have been seeing this slight of hand used frequently now: because Duckworth and Durlak show a positive correlation of "character traits" (actually personality attributes), that means character education can be used to instill them. But there is no data to support making that connection. No program has been (and I argue, can be) shown to instill personality attributes. Unfortunately, there is nothing "concrete" about "indications." Sarah alludes to them (without reference), but if you look into it, the studies conducted were far from scientific. To the contrary, every study that has tlooked for objective data has found no results (or even negative!)*. *October 2010, a federal study, the largest and most thorough ever conducted, found that schoolwide Character Education programs produce exactly ZERO improvements in student behavior or academic performance. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_education#Issues_and_controversies I have been seeing this slight of hand used frequently now: because Duckworth and Durlak show a positive correlation of “character traits” (actually personality attributes), that means character education can be used to instill them. But there is no data to support making that connection.

No program has been (and I argue, can be) shown to instill personality attributes. Unfortunately, there is nothing “concrete” about “indications.” Sarah alludes to them (without reference), but if you look into it, the studies conducted were far from scientific. To the contrary, every study that has tlooked for objective data has found no results (or even negative!)*.

*October 2010, a federal study, the largest and most thorough ever conducted, found that schoolwide Character Education programs produce exactly ZERO improvements in student behavior or academic performance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_education#Issues_and_controversies

]]> By: Gwen Pongraczhttp://www.character.org/blog/2012/02/resistance-to-character-education/#comment-87 Gwen Pongracz Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:33:49 +0000 http://www.character.org/?p=5916#comment-87 Sarah, Great article! Good points and very well written. Sarah, Great article! Good points and very well written.

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