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Legislating the Good

A Survey and Evaluation of Character Education Laws in the United States

Baylor University

Andrew J. Milson

University of North Texas

In this article, the authors trace the historical context of character education legislation in the United States, analyze and evaluate current legislative trends, and discuss the inherent dangers in legislating the good. The survey concludes that at no other time in history have Americans attempted to legislate such a specific vision of character education. The authors evaluate this legislation using the criteria of local choice, programmatic integration, comprehensiveness, community involvement, K-12 implementation, and allocation of staff development resources. Their evaluation reveals that few state laws meet these criteria and that some laws even contradict the spirit of comprehensive character education. They conclude that these inadequacies are fatal flaws in current attempts to legislate character.

Key Words: character education legislation

Educational Policy, Vol. 20, No. 3, 525-550 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0895904805284115


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