Implementing an Authentic Character Education Curriculum (Essay‪)‬

A growing body of research points to the need for character education in schools, as evidenced by rising rates of juvenile crime (Britzman, 2005) and increased reports of" bullying in schools (National Center for Education Statistics, 2009). A survey on school crime and safety in the United States .for the 2007-08 academic year (National Center for Education Statistics, 2009) reports that bullying occurs daily or at least once a week in 20.5% of all reporting primary schools and 43.5% of-all reporting middle schools. Feder (2007) emphasizes that bullying was considered a contributing factor in recent school shooting incidents and should be viewed as a serious public health problem confronting society. Many probable reasons can be identified for increases in juvenile criminality. Britzman (2005) suggests that the rise in crime and inappropriate behaviors in schools (such as bullying) has developed due to a lack of shared values. Britzman's hypothesis is supported by a Public Agenda study (Duffett, Johnson,&Farkas, 1999), which reports that many Americans believe young people are not learning such values as responsibility, honesty, and respect. While a survey of young people found that 93% were happy with their character and ethics (Josephson Institute of Ethics, 2008), those same respondents also reported that: 1) 64% had cheated on a test, 2) 83% had lied to parents, 3) 23% had stolen from a relative, and 4) 30% had stolen property. The Josephson survey found that the young people's behavior was inconsistent with their shared beliefs. The concern about children's values led to actions by state legislatures and the federal government mandating that U.S. schools address character education.