From Educating for Character: How Our Schools Can Teach Respect and Responsibility

by Prof. Thomas Likona (Bantam, 1991).

1. There is a clear and urgent need, as young people increasingly hurt themselves and others because of unawareness of and/or indifference to moral values.

2. Transmitting moral values to the next generation has always been one of the most important functions of a civilization.

3. The school’s role as character educator is even more vital when millions of children get little moral teaching from their parents, communities, or religious institutions.

4. Common ground exists on core moral values although there may be significant disagreement on the application of some of these values to certain controversial issues.

5. Democracies have a special need for moral education, because democracy is government of and by the people themselves.

6. There is no such thing as value-free education. Schools teach values every day by design or default.

7. Moral questions are among the great questions facing the individual person and the human race.

8. There is broad-based and growing support for character education in the schools.

9. An unabashed commitment to character education is essential if we are to attract and keep good teachers.

10. Effective character education is a do-able job which improves student behavior, makes schools more civil communities, and leads to improved academic performance.

– Thomas Likona