Developing and Assessing School Culture
A New Level of Accountability for Schools
A positive school culture—what many people call “school climate”—is the cornerstone of all good schools. It is the foundation for school improvement. Nevertheless, it often goes unmentioned and unaddressed in school reform and assessment. This CEP position paper argues that education in our nation is at a defining moment, one with the potential to reshape our national conversation about school improvement. More >>

“Performance Values: Why They Matter and What Schools Can Do to Foster Their Development.”

CEP is proud to announce the publication of a new white paper on performance values. Approved for publication by CEP's Board of Directors. More >>

Smart & Good High Schools is a national study of American high schools- including site visits to 24 diverse schools, hundreds of interviews, a comprehensive research review, and the input of a National Experts Panel and a National Student Leaders Panel.  The report offers a vision of educational excellence and nearly 100 promising practices designed to foster human flourishing over a lifetime. More >>

What Works in Character Education
For the first time, researchers have confirmed that character education is an effective tool in student development, according to a report released by CEP. 
Practitioners: Read the What Works Practitioner's Report
Policymakers: Read the What Works Policymaker's Report

Character Education, Prevention, and Positive Youth Development
Schools today face enormous challenges in educating all of the young people in their charge. In addition to providing youth with basic academic knowledge and skills, and promoting their character development, schools have increasingly been called upon to play a primary role in helping to solve a variety of social problems among youth. Read the report and view the latest findings from Victor Battistich of University of Missouri, St. Louis.

Character Education: What is it, How Does it Work, and How Effective is it?
CEP, joining hands with the John Templeton Foundation, has taken a giant step in promoting character education by undertaking and publishing three groundbreaking research studies that offer hard data linking CE with improved school climate—and improved academic performance! The report complies with the No Child Left Behind legislation that requires that educational practices be validated by research and brings together the research of Benninga et al., The Relationship of Character Education Implementation and Academic Achievement in Elementary Schools, Marvin Berkowitz and Melinda Bier, What Works in Character Education, and Tom Lickona and Matt Davidson's Smart and Good High Schools.  Read the exciting report that confirms what CEP has long argued: character education initiatives, when effectively implemented, not only improve school climate and student behavior but also lead ultimately to academic improvement!  Read the Research Brief.

Survey of Outcomes Measurement in Character Education
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education conducted this study to 1) document the constructs measured in a set of character education programs; 2) develop a framework for describing and assessing character education outcomes; and 3) provide a resource for evaluators to identify and select measures of character education program outcomes. The study confirms that character education programs in schools can influence students cognitively, affectively, and behaviorally; and as we know, these outcomes are positive. And it also showed similar results for educators, parents, staff and communities. More broadly, however, the study contains the following important message for character education researchers and practitioners: "Studies of character education would benefit from articulation of a formal theory of change linking specific program components to the key outcome or outcomes that might result from them." Read the report here. Read the executive summary.

Character Education Legislation: What States Are Doing
This downloadable file provides up-to-date information for those interested in finding out what lawmakers are doing to encourage character education at the state level. 36 states have laws that specifically mandate or encourage character education. Read the report.

Mobilizing for Evidence-Based Character Education
This U.S. Department of Education publication offers strategies for working with external evaluators and key stakeholders in planning and implementing a scientifically sound evaluation of character education programs. Read the report.