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Politics of Character EducationUniversity of Washington, Tacomarwhoward{at}u.washington.edu
University of Missouri-St. Louisberkowitz{at}umsl.edu
eschaeffer{at}character.org Character educations history in the United States goes back to the beginning of public schools. The emphasis and profile has waxed and waned, frequently with political trends. The current standards-based environment poses particular threats and challenges to character education. In spite of these pressures, character education continues andby most measuresis growing. This article (a) defines character and examines the history of character education in U.S. public schools; (b) introduces and contrasts the major approaches: traditional character education, caring, and developmental; and (c) outlines and examines current issues including the relationship of character to citizenship education, the family and school roles in character development, the relationship of church and state, federal and state polices and funding of character education programs, and issues of evaluation and research. Although advocating for character education, the approach here to the issues is descriptive and as impartial as possible.
Key Words: character education character development civics philosophy ethics
Educational Policy, Vol. 18, No. 1,
188-215 (2004) This article has been cited by other articles:
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