Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education

PrinciPlE 1 Promotes core values. PrinciPlE 2 Defines “character” to include thinking, feeling,

and doing. PrinciPlE 3 Uses a comprehensive approach. PrinciPlE 4 Creates a caring community.

PrinciPlE 5 Provides students with opportunities for moral action. PrinciPlE 6 Offers a meaningful and

challenging academic curriculum. PrinciPlE 7 Fosters students’ self-motivation. PrinciPlE 8 Engages

staff as a learning community. PrinciPlE 2 0 1 0 R E sharedOleadership. PrinciPlE 10 Engages families
9 Fosters V I S I N

11
and community members as partners. PrinciPlE 11. Assesses the culture and climate of the school.
A Framework for school success
PrinciPlE 1 Promotes core values. PrinciPlE 2 Defines “character” to include thinking, feeling, and

doing. PrinciPlE 3 Uses a comprehensive approach. PrinciPlE 4 Creates a caring community.

PrinciPlE 5 Provides students with opportunities for moral action. PrinciPlE 6 Offers a meaningful

and challenging academic curriculum. PrinciPlE 7 Fosters students’ self-motivation. PrinciPlE 8 Engages

staff as a learning community. PrinciPlE 9 Fosters shared leadership. PrinciPlE 10 Engages families


PrinciPlE 1 Promotes core values. PrinciPlE 2 Defines “character” to include thinking, feeling,


PRIncIPlEs
PrinciPlE 5. Provides students with opportunities for moral action. PrinciPlE 6. Offers a meaningful and


O F E F F E C T I V E
staff as a learning community. PrinciPlE 9 Fosters shared leadership. PrinciPlE 10 Engages families

chaRactER

PrinciPlE 1 Promotes core values. PrinciPlE 2. Defines “character” to include thinking, feeling,

EducatIOn

PrinciPlE 5 Provides students with opportunities for moral action. PrinciPlE 6 Offers a meaningful and


staff PrinciPlE 1 Promotes core values. PrinciPlE 2 Defines “character” to include thinking, feeling,


PrinciPlE 5 Provides students with opportunities for moral action. PrinciPlE 6 Offers a meaningful

and challenging academic curriculum. PrinciPlE 7 Fosters students’ self-motivation. PrinciPlE 8

Engages staff as a learning community. PrinciPlE 9 Fosters shared leadership. PrinciPlE 10 Engages

families and community members as partners. PrinciPlE 11. Assesses the culture and climate of the school.

OVERVIEW
What is character education?
Character education is the intentional effort to develop in young people core ethical and
performance values that are widely affirmed across all cultures. To be effective, character education
must include all stakeholders in a school community and must permeate school climate and
curriculum.

Character education includes a broad range of concepts such as positive school culture, moral
education, just communities, caring school communities, social-emotional learning, positive youth
development, civic education, and service learning. All of these approaches promote the intellectual,
social, emotional, and ethical development of young people and share a commitment to help young
people become responsible, caring, and contributing citizens.

Character education so conceived helps students to develop important human qualities such as justice,
diligence, compassion, respect, and courage, and to understand why it is important to live by them.
Quality character education creates an integrated culture of character that supports and challenges
students and adults to strive for excellence.

Why “do” character education?
“Throughout history, and in cultures all over the world, education rightly conceived has had two
great goals: to help students become smart and to help them become good.”
—Thomas Lickona & Matthew Davidson, Smart & Good High Schools

Character education is not new. It was included as an important objective for the first U.S. public
schools. Today, it is even legislatively mandated or encouraged in most states. The current movement is
simply a reminder of education’s long history of stressing core values such as respect, integrity, and hard
work to help students become capable people and good citizens.

Character education provides effective solutions to ethical and academic issues that are of growing
concern. Educators have successfully used character education to transform their schools, improve
school culture, increase achievement for all learners, develop global citizens, restore civility, prevent anti-
social and unhealthy behaviors, and improve job satisfaction and retention among teachers.

Because students spend so much time at school, our schools offer a critically important opportunity to
ensure that all students get the support and help they need to reach their full potential. Schools with
high-quality character education are places where students, teachers, and parents want to be. They
are places where young people do their best work because they feel safe, appreciated, supported, and
challenged by their peers and the adults around them.

Published and distributed by Character Education Partnership
Copyright © 2010 Character Education Partnership
Printed in the United States of America. Portions of this document may be reproduced for educational and assessment purposes.
The contents of this document can also be found on the Character Education Partnership website, www.character.org.

i Character Education Partnership

The Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education,
a guIdE fOR schOOls and dIstRIcts
No single script for effective character education exists, but there are some important guiding principles.
Based on the practices of effective schools, the Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education form the
cornerstone of CEP’s philosophy on how best to develop and implement high-quality character education
initiatives. As broad principles that define excellence in character education, the 11 Principles serve as
guideposts that schools and others responsible for youth character development can use to plan and
evaluate their programs.

This document explains each of the 11 Principles
ElEvEn PrinciPlEs scoring guidE
and includes a scoring guide. It defines each
4 = Exemplary 3 = Highly Effective 2 = Good 1 = Lacking Evidence
principle more specifically in terms of two to four
item 1 item 2 item 3 item 4 Average
items that describe what the principle should
Principle 1
“look like” when implemented. Key indicators
Principle 2
of exemplary practice follow each of these items. Principle 3
Developed in consultation with experienced Principle 4
National School of Character (NSOC) site visitors Principle 5
and evaluators, these key indicators describe how Principle 6
effective schools most commonly implement the Principle 7

principles and offer benchmarks of successful Principle 8

practice. Principle 9
Principle 10
In addition, for each principle an example from Principle 11
an NSOC shows the principle in practice, and ToTAl *
references to CEP’s Eleven Principles Sourcebook * Sum of the average score for each principle divided by 11.
show where to find additional help and explanation.

CEP strongly encourages practitioners to evaluate the extent to which their school or district is
implementing each principle. This document and its scoring guide can help educators examine their
current character education practices, identify short- and long-term objectives, and develop or strengthen
a strategic plan for continuous improvement by scoring each item. After a school determines its baseline
data, it can use the Eleven Principles Scoring Guide again later to assess progress.

Arriving at the destination of a 4.0 score on the entire scoring guide is a goal, not an expectation. Rarely
would a school or district be exemplary in every indicator at any one time. For example, schools and
districts that achieve State and National Schools of Character status are usually between “Exemplary” and
“Highly Effective” on the scoring rubric.

A reproducible scoring guide is provided on the back inside cover of this document, and an Excel score
sheet that will automatically calculate your scores is available at www.character.org/nsocapplicationprocess.

Call CEP (800-988-8081) with questions on the scoring procedure.

Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education 1

PRIncIPlE 1 The school community promotes core ethical and
performance values as the foundation of good character.
Schools that effectively promote good character come to agreement on the core ethical and performance
values they most wish to instill in their students. Some schools use other terms such as virtues, traits,
pillars, or expectations to refer to the desirable character qualities they wish to foster. Whatever the
terminology, the core values promoted by quality character education are ones which affirm human
dignity, promote the development and welfare of the individual, serve the common good, define our
rights and responsibilities in a democratic society, and meet the classical tests of universality (i.e., Would
you want all persons to act this way in a similar situation?) and reversibility (i.e., Would you want to be
treated this way?).

The school makes clear that these basic human values transcend religious and cultural differences
and express our common humanity. Examples of core ethical values are caring, honesty, fairness,
responsibility, and respect for self and others. Examples of performance values include diligence, best
effort, perseverance, critical thinking, and positive attitude. The school community selects and commits
to its core values as the foundation for how people interact and do their best work in the school. A
school committed to its students’ character development treats its core values as essential to its mission
and often refers to them in its code of conduct or “touchstone.”

1.1 Stakeholders in the school community select or assent to a set of core values.

Key indicators of exemplary implementation:
† A highly inclusive, representative group of stakeholders (professional and other staff, parents,
students, and community members) has had input into, or at least assented to, the school’s core
ethical and performance values. If the district selected the values or if the values have been in place
for a long time, current stakeholders have been involved in ongoing reflection on the values in order to
ensure their continuing relevance to the present school community.
† Staff members understand how and why the school selected its core values and affirm the
importance of core values in guiding the behavior of all those in the school community.

1.2 Core ethical and performance values actively guide every aspect of life in the school.

† Students, staff, and parents use common language reflecting the school’s core values (e.g., students,
teachers, or parents might use the word “perseverance” when discussing homework or the word
“respect” when discussing relationships).
† There is staff ownership for teaching, modeling, and integrating the core values into all aspects of
school life (e.g., discussions in grade-level, subject-area, and full staff meetings).
† Core values guide hiring practices and the orientation of new teaching and non-teaching staff.

2 Character Education Partnership

1.3 The school community articulates its character-related goals and expectations
through visible statements of its core ethical and performance values.

† Core values appear in the school building, in the school mission statement, on the school website, in
the student handbook, in the discipline code, in newsletters sent home, and at school events.
† The school has defined what the core values “look like” and “sound like” in terms of observable
behaviors.
† Staff, students, and parents can identify the core values and recognize their importance as a
distinctive feature of the school.
(For districts):
† The district incorporates core values in its community and public relations efforts.
† The district establishes core values as part of its vision, mission, goals, objectives, regulations, and
policies, and seeks to promote a community of adults and students based on a commitment to
excellence and ethics.

sourcebook
connections from the guide to Principle 1:
The Language of Character Education, page 5
Examples of Core Values, page 9
Promoting Core Ethical Values, page 27
Character Education Programs, page 42
Facilitation Guide & Overview, page 43

ELEVEN PRINCIPLES IN ACTION 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Core Values Visible roughout School
Babylon Memorial Grade School has a many-layered
approach to building character. Its character education
message is visible everywhere: in its mission and
belief statements, class constitutions, faculty and PTA
meetings, and Home-School Character Connection
exercises. Beyond that, Babylon makes the media center
the hub for character education and brings the core
values to life through morning meetings, character-
focused lessons, cross-grade buddy programs, and
grade-level service projects.

Babylon Memorial Grade School
Babylon, New York


PRIncIPlE 2 The school defines “character” comprehensively to include
thinking, feeling, and doing.
Good character involves understanding, caring about, and acting upon core ethical and performance
values. A holistic approach to character development therefore seeks to develop the cognitive,
emotional, and behavioral dispositions required to do the right thing and do one’s best work. Students
grow to understand core values by studying and discussing them, observing behavioral models, and
resolving problems involving the values. Students learn to care about core values by developing empathy
skills, forming caring relationships, developing good work habits, taking on meaningful responsibilities,
helping to create community, hearing inspirational stories, and reflecting on life experiences. And they
learn to act upon core values by striving to do their best and be their best in all areas of school life. As
children grow in character, they develop an increasingly refined understanding of the core ethical and
performance values, a deeper commitment to living according to those values, and a stronger capacity
and tendency to behave in accordance with them.

2.1 The school helps students acquire a developmentally appropriate understanding
of what the core values mean in everyday behavior and grasp the reasons why some
behaviors (e.g., doing your best and respecting others) represent good character and their
opposites do not.

† Staff consistently explain to students how the core values can help them make choices that
demonstrate good character.
† Staff can explain how they help students understand the core values (e.g., teachers can point to
lessons they have taught).
† Students can explain why the core ethical and performance values are important, how various
behaviors exemplify those values, and why some behaviors (e.g., treating others as you wish to be
treated, giving your best effort) are right and others are wrong.

2.2 The school helps students reflect upon the core values, appreciate them, desire to
demonstrate them, and become committed to them.

† Staff help students to develop an appreciation for and a commitment to the core values (e.g., by
developing empathy and a sense of responsibility for others, by supporting and challenging students
to do their best work, and through character exemplars in literature, history, sports, the media, and
everyday life).
† Staff provide opportunities for students to reflect on the core values through discussions of real-life
problems and situations relevant to ethical and performance character.
† Staff meet students’ needs for safety, belonging, competence, and autonomy, since these form a
foundation for developing a commitment to the core values.


2.3 The school helps students practice the core values so that they become habitual
patterns of behavior.

† Staff encourage students to examine their own behavior in light of the core values and challenge
them to make their behavior consistent with the core values (e.g., through journal writing, discussion
of events in the classroom, one-on-one adult-student conversations about past or present behavior).
† Students receive practice in and feedback on academic and behavioral skills (e.g., setting goals,
monitoring their progress, listening attentively, using “I” messages, apologizing) through the ordinary
conduct of the classroom (e.g., the normal flow of teaching and learning, procedures, role plays,
class meetings, cooperative learning groups).
† Students have the opportunity to practice the core values in the context of relationships (e.g.,
through cross-age tutoring, mediating conflicts, and helping others) and in the context of classroom
work (e.g., students demonstrate that they care about the quality of their work and incorporate
feedback in order to improve their performance).

sourcebook from the guide to Principle 2:
connections Fostering Moral Awareness, pages 9–13
Behavioral Side of Character, page 37
Social Skills, page 41
Overview, page 50


Mixed-Level Class Meetings Focus on Core Values
Francis Howell Middle School deliberately restructured
the school day to make time for Character Connection
classes that meet for 20 minutes daily and follow the
protocol of a class meeting. During these advisory
classes, student groups comprising a mix of grade levels
help one another to understand, internalize, and practice
the core values. Activities include writing character
goals, peer tutoring, discussions of school issues and
current events, and helping or expressing appreciation
for particular groups within the school. Students have
cleaned buses, brought cakes for cafeteria workers, made
Francis Howell Middle School name tags for support staff, and served custodians hot
St. Charles, Missouri chocolate while cleaning the halls for them.


PRIncIPlE 3 The school uses a comprehensive, intentional, and proactive
approach to character development.
Schools committed to character development look at themselves through a character lens to assess how
virtually everything that goes on in school affects the character of students. A comprehensive approach
uses all aspects of schooling as opportunities for character development. This includes the formal
academic curriculum and extracurricular activities, as well as what is sometimes called the hidden or
informal curriculum (e.g., how school procedures reflect core values, how adults model good character,
how the instructional process respects students, how student diversity is addressed, and how the
discipline policy encourages student reflection and growth).

“Stand-alone” character education programs can be useful first steps or helpful elements of a
comprehensive effort but are not an adequate substitute for a holistic approach that integrates character
development into every aspect of school life. With an intentional and proactive approach, school staff
do more than react to “teachable moments” to integrate character lessons. They take deliberate steps to
create opportunities for character development.

3.1 The school is intentional and proactive in addressing character at all grade levels.

† Individual teachers, grade-level teams, and the staff as a whole participate in planning for character
education.
† The school has created and can document a plan for character education, or the school follows the
district’s plan.
† (For districts): The district defines character education clearly and comprehensively, emphasizing that it
is a process that demands integration into all aspects of school life.

3.2 Character education is integrated into academic content and instruction.

† Teachers teach core ethical and performance values through their academic subjects. The school is
able to point to examples of lessons from teachers in diverse subject areas that explicitly include the
integration of character into academic content and the consideration of academic integrity issues (e.g.,
use of sources, moral implications of academic dishonesty).
† Teachers provide opportunities for students to develop their moral reasoning through discussions of
ethical issues in their content areas (e.g., how lessons of history guide moral choices, how scientific
discoveries have ethical implications).
† (For districts): The district includes character education in its academic curriculum frameworks and
seeks to apply the vocabulary of character to develop higher level student thinking (e.g., evaluation of
lessons in history, literature, or school life where character traits provide a guide to behavior.)


3.3 Character education is a priority in how teachers conduct their classes.

† Classroom routines and procedures address students’ need for belonging, autonomy, and competence.
† Classroom routines and procedures are respectful of students and engage them in ways that develop
core values such as responsibility, fairness, caring, diligence, and perseverance. Teachers explain to
students how the core values underlie classroom routines and procedures.
† Teachers and students can point to and explain the policies and procedures that support academic
integrity (e.g., lessons on proper citation of sources and plagiarism, testing strategies to resist cheating,
honor pledges or honor codes, and honor committees or courts).

3.4 Character education is infused throughout the school day in classes, sports, meetings,
and co-curricular activities.

† The school communicates clear and consistent expectations of good character throughout the total school program
(e.g., sports, clubs) and in all areas of the school (e.g., cafeteria, halls, playground, sports fields, library, buses).
† Both students and staff are able to point to artifacts reflecting the core values that guide class, team, or
club goals and procedures (e.g., sportsmanship codes, publication codes of ethics, club bylaws).

sourcebook
Implementation Plan, page 6
Curricular Integration, page 20
Extracurricular Programs, page 24
Overview, page 34
Hidden Curriculum, page 36


Core Values as the Foundation for School Culture
With a goal of making good character a way of life for the
entire community, school and community leaders have
worked in partnership in Peters Township to promote core
values. The result is a truly comprehensive character initiative
where the core values are embedded throughout the culture
and curriculum of all the district’s schools. Peters Township
High School, for example, treats the district’s core values as
foundational for the school’s curricular and extracurricular
life. The core values are woven into the literacy curriculum,
where students use their reading selections to reflect on the
values and on issues of character, such as discrimination,
Peters Township School District patriotism, and moral courage. In social studies classes,
McMurray, Pennsylvania students are expected to act upon the core values as they select
and research national or international causes and then work
with community members to carry out related service projects.


PRIncIPlE 4 The school creates a caring community.
A school committed to character strives to become a microcosm of a civil, caring, and just society. It
does this by creating a community that helps all its members form respectful relationships that lead to
caring attachments to and responsibility for one another. This involves developing caring relationships
between students and staff, among students (within and across grade levels), among staff, and between
staff and families. These caring relationships foster both the desire to learn and the desire to be a
good person. All children and adolescents have needs for safety, belonging, and the experience of
contributing, and they are more likely to internalize the values and expectations of groups that meet
these needs. Likewise, if staff members and parents experience mutual respect, fairness, and cooperation
in their relationships with each other, they are more likely to develop the capacity to promote those
values in students. In a caring school community, the daily life of classrooms and all other parts of the
school environment (e.g., hallways, cafeteria, playground, sports fields, buses, front office, and teachers’
lounge) are imbued with a climate of concern and respect for others.

4.1 The school makes it a high priority to foster caring attachments between students
and staff.

† Students perceive staff as caring and report that they could go to an adult in the school with a problem.
† Staff frequently attend school events; students and parents report that they do.
† The school encourages and makes provisions and time for students and teachers to meet in small group
settings such as class meetings or advisor-advisee periods.
† Staff provide extra help in academic work and counsel or mentor students when needed.

4.2 The school makes it a high priority to help students form caring attachments to
each other.

† Students perceive the student body as friendly and inclusive.
† The school uses educational strategies (e.g., cooperative learning, cross-age mentoring, class meetings) to
encourage mutual respect and a feeling of responsibility for one another.

4.3 The school takes steps to prevent peer cruelty and violence and deals with it effectively
when it occurs.

† Students report that bullying (including cyber-bullying), teasing, and acts of cruelty or intolerance are
infrequent and are not tolerated by staff.
† All students participate in activities, programs, and processes that promote tolerance, understanding,
respect, and peace among students (e.g., conflict resolution, anti-bullying programs, peer mediation,
class meetings).


† Staff demonstrate ways to identify, constructively address, and discourage peer abuse (e.g., bullying;
put-downs; racial slurs; insensitive gender remarks; remarks on appearance, economic, or social status)
and increase students’ understanding and respect for personal, economic, and cultural differences.

4.4 The school makes it a high priority to foster caring attachments among adults within
the school community.

† Parents, community members, and guests report feeling welcome in the school.
† Staff perceive the work environment as positive and their colleagues as supportive and caring. Artifacts
demonstrate ways their relationships are nurtured (e.g., invitations for social gatherings or agendas from
helping those in need, working collaboratively, celebrating successes and accomplishments).
† Staff make efforts to form positive relationships with students’ parents and guardians. Parents and
teachers both report feeling respected by one another.
† Staff report that the administration fosters a collegial atmosphere.
† (For districts): Staff at the district level make efforts to develop caring and respectful relationships among
themselves, with staff at the school level, and in the broader community.

sourcebook
Caring Between Students/Staff, page 6
Caring Among Students, page 19
Caring Among Adults, page 32
Overview, page 44


Creating a Caring Community
With a framework of an International Baccalaureate
curriculum that emphasizes global responsibility and
tolerance and an advisory program that offers all students
leadership and service opportunities, Rosa International
Middle School “teaches kids to care,” and students “put
that caring into action” through a multitude of service
learning projects. The school aims to become a spirited
and caring family to all students. Students begin each day
in Advisory where they get to know each other as they talk
through issues and plan service projects. In order to create
a family feeling in a school with over 600 students, grade
Rosa International Middle School levels are broken into “Learning Communities,” or teams of
Cherry Hill, New Jersey teachers that teach the same students and work together to
meet their unique needs. School culture stresses caring and
acceptance, both at school and for those around the world.


PRIncIPlE 5 The school provides students with opportunities for
moral action.
In the ethical as in the intellectual domain, students are constructive learners—they learn best by
doing. To develop the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects of their character, students need
many and varied opportunities to grapple with real-life challenges (e.g., how to plan and carry out an
important responsibility, work as part of a team, negotiate for peaceable solutions, recognize and resolve
ethical dilemmas, and identify and meet school and community needs). Through repeated experiences
and reflection, students develop appreciation for and commitment to acting on their ethical and
performance values. When providing service to others, the school follows guidelines for effective service
learning to include student voice and choice, integration of service into the curriculum, and reflection.
In addition to service learning, moral action can include conflict resolution, bully resistance, academic
integrity, and sportsmanship.

5.1 The school sets clear expectations for students to engage in actions that develop and
demonstrate good character.

† The school can point to artifacts that demonstrate how the school’s expectations for peaceful conflict
resolution, academic integrity, good sportsmanship, and service to others are taught; students can
describe how these things have been taught by their teachers and what they have learned.
† The school establishes and communicates clear expectations regarding service learning. The school
can point to schoolwide expectations of personal and social responsibility. Relevant stakeholders
(students, teachers, and parents) know the school’s expectations regarding action that develops and
demonstrates good character. Students and staff readily acknowledge their responsibility for these
expectations.
† (For districts): The district encourages and sets clear guidelines and expectations for service to others,
academic integrity, and good sportsmanship and makes explicit that service learning includes student
voice and choice, integration into the curriculum, and a reflection component.

5.2 The school provides all students with varied opportunities for engaging in positive,
responsible action within the school, and students engage in these opportunities and reflect
on them.

† The school effectively provides all students with opportunities for service within the school (e.g., peer
or cross-age tutoring, classroom or student body governance, and service projects related to the care of the
school or school grounds), and students take advantage of these opportunities and benefit from them.
† Teachers connect service within the school with the curriculum and core ethical and performance
values (service learning).
† Teachers provide instruction and students engage in projects to practice and/or advance conflict
resolution, ethical decision-making, and academic integrity.


5.3 The school provides all students with repeated and varied opportunities for making
contributions to the larger community, and students engage in these opportunities and
reflect on them.

† The school effectively provides all students with opportunities for participation in service learning
(e.g., working with the elderly; helping the homeless, those in need, or animals; or caring for the
environment) and students take advantage of these opportunities and benefit from them.
† Teachers connect community service with the curriculum and core values, creating service learning
experiences.
† The school sets aside time for students to assess community needs, create ideas for meeting those
needs, plan and coordinate service learning projects, and reflect on the positive consequences of
community service.

sourcebook
Defining Moral Action, page 5
Turning Action into Learning, page 18
School & District Support, page 35
Service Organizations, page 45
Student Roles, page 49
Service Learning Scenarios, page 51


Tying Service to Learning
Staff members at Alta S. Leary Elementary created grade-
level curriculum guides that show how essential questions
can be tied to ethical issues and specific service learning
projects. Students at every level now engage in service as
an integral outgrowth of topics they learn about in class.
In a fifth-grade unit entitled “Let Freedom Ring,” the
essential question Why do we have the Constitution and Bill
of Rights? leads to assignments researching the background
of specific amendments and concluding with an advocacy
letter written to members of Congress. In a second-grade
class, students respond to a reading assignment about
Alta S. Leary Elementary School Haiti by raising enough funds to donate 400 pounds of
Warminster, Pennsylvania beans and rice to the people in need there. Leary students
learn that service is a vital part of good character and
meaningful academics.


PRIncIPlE 6 The school offers a meaningful and challenging academic
curriculum that respects all learners, develops their character, and helps them
to succeed.
Because students come to school with diverse skills, interests, backgrounds, and learning needs, an
academic program that helps all students succeed will be one in which the content and pedagogy engage
all learners and meet their individual needs. This means providing a curriculum that is inherently
interesting and meaningful to students and teaching in a manner that respects and cares for students as
individuals. Effective character educators model persistence, responsibility, and caring as they differentiate
instruction, employ a variety of active teaching and learning strategies, and look for ways that character
is potentially developed in and through everyday teaching and learning. When teachers bring to the fore
the character dimension of their classes, they enhance the relevance of subject matter and content area
skills to students’ natural interests and questions, and in the process, increase student engagement and
achievement. When teachers highlight models of excellence and ethics and promote social-emotional
skills, such as self-awareness and self-management, and ethical decision-making, students are able to
access the curriculum with greater focus. When teachers promote moral and performance values such as
academic integrity, intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and diligence, students are better able to do
their best work and gain greater autonomy, competence, and self-confidence.

6.1 The academic curriculum provides meaningful and appropriate challenges to
all students.

Key indicators of exemplary practice:
† Teachers provide all students with opportunities to interact with academic content in engaging, hands-
on, appropriate ways (e.g., cooperative learning, problem solving, and experience-based projects).
Students report feeling challenged by and excited about what they are learning in school. Parents
report that their children are appropriately challenged and that teachers have high expectations.
† The school community encourages students to seek mastery of content and skills.
† Instruction increases students’ sense of competence and emphasizes student autonomy (e.g., by
providing them with opportunities to think creatively and test their ideas, by giving them a voice in
classroom decisions and plans that affect them).

6.2 The school staff identifies, understands, and accommodates the diverse interests,
cultures, and learning needs of all students.

† Staff members engage in ongoing identification of students’ learning needs. Differentiated instruction
appears organic—a natural part of the school day for all students (e.g., students move easily into
reading or math groups that provide activities that have been differentiated by content, process, or
product yet are designed to meet the same objectives).
† Staff members challenge and help all students do high-quality work and strive for continuous improvement.
† Parents and students report that teachers know their students well and understand and respond to
their learning needs and cultural differences.
† Schools recognize existing achievement gaps between diverse student subgroups and take active
steps to eliminate such gaps.

6.3 Teachers promote the development of performance character traits that support
students’ intellectual growth, academic performance, and capacity for both self-direction
and teamwork.

† Teachers promote thinking habits (e.g., curiosity, truth-seeking, critical thinking, and open-
mindedness) that lead to intellectual growth in students. Students set goals and are aware of their
growth as learners.
† Teachers promote work-related habits (e.g., perseverance, responsible decision-making, self-
management, and challenge-seeking) that help students do their best work.
† Teachers promote social habits (e.g., honesty, responsibility, collaboration) that help students work
together harmoniously (e.g., through cooperative learning).
† Teachers promote, and students report, the importance of academic integrity in the completion of work.

sourcebook
Respecting How Students Learn, page 5
Intellectual Character, page 18
Character in the Curriculum, page 32
Overview, page 43
Exercise on Engaging Students, page 45


Emphasis on the Way Students Learn
Academic rigor, a character-related curriculum, and
a renewed emphasis on performance values helped to
transform Waterloo Middle School from a school at the
bottom of its district to a high-performing school that
is a model to others. A daily student advisory program,
in which students set academic goals and monitor their
progress, is central strategy in this process. Waterloo’s
approach to character places a strong emphasis on the
way students learn. Staff development in learning styles,
differentiated instruction, understanding the needs of
children living in poverty, cooperative learning, and
motivating unmotivated learners has provided teachers
with valuable tools to improve instruction.
Waterloo Middle School
Waterloo, New York


PRIncIPlE 7 The school fosters students’ self-motivation.
Character means doing the right thing and doing our best work “even when no one is looking.” The
best underlying ethical reason for following rules, for example, is respect for the rights and needs
of others—not fear of punishment nor desire for reward. We want students to be kind to others
because of an inner belief that kindness is good and an inner desire to be a kind person. We want
them to do a good job—work that applies and further develops their best abilities—because they
take pride in quality work, not just because they want a good grade. Becoming more self-motivated
is a developmental process that schools of character are careful not to undermine by an emphasis on
extrinsic incentives. Intensive focus on rewards and behavior modification is consciously limited.

Schools of character work with students to develop their understanding of rules, their awareness of
how their behavior affects others, and the character strengths—such as self-control, perspective taking,
and conflict resolution skills—needed to act responsibly in the future. Rather than settle for mere
compliance, these schools seek to help students benefit from their mistakes by providing meaningful
opportunities for reflection, problem solving, and restitution.

Consequences are relevant (logically related to the rule or offense), respectful (not embarrassing or
demeaning), reasonable (not harsh or excessive), restorative (restoring or repair the relationship by
making restitution), and resource-building (helping students develop the character qualities—such
as empathy, social skills, and the motivation to do the right thing—that were not put into practice
when the behavior problem occurred). Staff routinely deal with behavior issues in positive ways that
encourage reflection according to the core values, offer students opportunities for reparation and moral
growth, and respect students as individuals.

7.1 Staff and students recognize and celebrate the natural, beneficial consequences of
acts of character rather than rewarding students with material recognition or rewards.

† Students are able to articulate on a personal level what it means to be self-motivated and why it is
important (e.g., students can cite personal goals, achievements, and challenges).
† Staff can explain how they have specifically addressed the question of intrinsic versus extrinsic
motivation. They reflect on whether their practices develop self-motivation and seek agreement on
a shared philosophy and associated practices (e.g., how all members of the school community will
articulate and act upon the concepts of praise, rewards, and punishment).
† Recognition is inclusive of members of the school community (e.g., recognizing the character strengths
and unique qualities of each student in a classroom rather than having students earn the title “student
of the month”). The school may recognize students or classrooms for outstanding behavior or service but
refrains from excessive singling out of students or competition among classrooms.
† Staff use methods of classroom management that foster intrinsic motivation (doing the right thing
because it’s the right thing to do) and avoid adopting programs that are rewards-based. Schools and
districts that integrate PBIS (Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support) with character education limit
their use of behavior modification techniques and help students develop the desire to do what is right
even when there is no external reward.
† Teachers use methods of academic instruction—including the opportunity for revision based on
feedback—that enable students to produce quality products, work of which they are proud and which
is worthy of pride.


† Staff and students recognize and express positive comments to each other in natural settings (e.g.,
hallways, classrooms, playing fields, meetings) as part of the everyday life of the school.
† (For districts): Districts use their public relations programs to focus attention on outstanding acts of
good character.

7.2 The school’s approach to student conduct uses all aspects of behavior management—
including rule-setting and rule-enforcement—as opportunities to foster students’ character
development, especially their understanding of and commitment to core values.

† The school provides staff training in developmentally appropriate forms of classroom management, which
includes a focus on developing clear character-based expectations for behavior throughout the school and
is supported by the publication, instruction, and practice of procedures to support school expectations.
† The school’s discipline code uses explanation, discussion, and natural and logical consequences
in ways that help students learn from their mistakes, repair relationships, and implement a plan for
behavior improvement.
† Students have a developmentally appropriate role in classroom management and school governance
(e.g., participating in the creation of behavioral norms and rules, class meetings, conflict resolution
programs, and student governance bodies such as student court).
† Teachers discuss academic integrity with students in terms of fairness and personal honor,
establishing clear guidelines about what constitutes doing one’s own work and acceptable
collaboration compared to what constitutes plagiarism and cheating.

sourcebook
Discipline that Builds Character, page 5
Key Resources for Discipline, page 19
Recognition of Good Character, page 20
Overview, page 28


Students Initiate Programs to Combat Bullying
Students at Hinsdale Central High School have become
so intrinsically motivated in character building that
they have initiated numerous programs themselves. In
one program, Break Down the Walls, students combat
bullying and harassment through original skits that address
discrimination issues before their peers and at other schools.
All students are encouraged to become more self-motivated
through reflection on their character development journey
as part of a Character Continuum activity. Disciplinary
action also has a reflective component, which has helped to
reduce the number of discipline referrals.
Hinsdale Central High School
Hinsdale, Illinois


PRIncIPlE 8 The school staff is an ethical learning community that
shares responsibility for character education and adheres to the same core
values that guide the students.
All school staff—teachers, administrators, counselors, paraprofessionals, resource teachers, school
psychologists and social workers, nurses, coaches, secretaries, cafeteria workers, playground and classroom
aides, bus drivers—need to be involved in learning about, discussing, and taking ownership of the school’s
character education effort. First and foremost, staff members assume this responsibility by modeling the
core values in their own behavior and taking advantage of opportunities to positively influence the students
with whom they interact. Second, the same values and norms that govern the life of students serve to govern
the collective life of adult members in the school community. Like students, adults grow in character by
working collaboratively, sharing best practices, and participating in decision-making that improves all areas
of the school. They also benefit from meaningful staff development and opportunities to observe colleagues
and then apply character development strategies in their own work with students. Third, a school devotes
time to staff reflection on issues that affect their collective pursuit of excellence and ethics. Through faculty
meetings and smaller support groups, a reflective staff regularly asks questions such as: What character-
building experiences is the school already providing for its students? How effective and comprehensive are
these? What negative moral behaviors is the school currently failing to address? What school practices are at
odds with its professed core values and desire to develop a school of character? Reflection of this nature is an
indispensable condition for developing an all-encompassing culture of character.

8.1 Staff model the core values in their interactions with students and each other, and
students and parents perceive that they do.

† Staff are courteous to students and each other and demonstrate respectful and supportive behavior
toward students.
† When asked how they can best help students understand and act on the core values, staff members will
specifically cite their role as a model for student work and behavior.
† Students and parents report that staff are courteous and model the core values.

8.2 The school includes all staff in planning, receiving staff development for, and carrying
out the schoolwide character education initiative.

† All professional and support staff receive training and information on their role in the character
education initiative and understand the part they play in its success. Administrators, teachers, and
counselors receive ongoing staff development. There are artifacts or summaries of these professional
development activities and faculty note how these activities affected teaching or classroom practices.
† The school has created a sustained “ethical learning community” through professional development
and opportunities for sharing and input. Staff value the sharing of ideas and being a learning and moral
community.
† All staff have opportunities to be involved in character education planning and implementation.
Teachers, administrators, and counselors are substantially involved.


† (For districts): The district trains teachers, principals, and other school personnel in character education
and social-emotional learning on a recurring basis; trains new teachers; and provides funding for staff
planning, training, and attending conferences on character education.

8.3 The school makes time available for staff planning and reflection in regard to
character education.

† Aspects of the character education initiative appear regularly on the agendas of faculty meetings and
in-service days.
† The administration provides staff release time for development of promising ideas, planning of events,
and reflection.
† Teachers use core values to reflect on their own behaviors and procedures.
† (For districts): The district encourages sharing information by providing venues for collaboration among
schools; establishing a centralized source of materials, curricula, and other tools; and sponsoring regular
conferences or meetings on character education.

sourcebook
Engaging the Staff, page 5
Coach’s Checklist, page 15
Developing In-House Expertise, page 23
Teachers as Role Models, page 30
Focus Group Guidelines, page 31


Staﬀ Collaboration and Training Sustain a Program
At Col. John Robinson School, staff members and
parents meet monthly to monitor their homegrown
character program, known as Peace-It-Together, and
move it forward. Working in the school’s unique open-
space environment, teachers must work well together
and they do, modeling cooperation and respect for their
students on a daily basis. Over time, this collaborative
spirit has enabled the staff to work together on many
creative ventures, include planning for Peace-It-Together
and Care to Read, a program they created that ties core
values to the curriculum. Staff members report that they
Col. John Robinson School enjoy coming to work each day because of the many
Westford, Massachusetts positive relationships they experience. An initiative that
started with a few staff members is sustained year after
year through staff outreach and training.


PRIncIPlE 9 The school fosters shared leadership and long-range
support of the character education initiative.
Schools that are engaged in effective character education have leaders who visibly champion the effort
and share leadership with all stakeholders. Many schools and districts establish a character education
committee—often composed of staff, students, parents, and community members—that takes
responsibility for planning, implementation, and support. Over time, the regular governing bodies of
the school or district may take on the functions of this committee—or, as character education goals
become well-known and fully shared, formal organizational structures may no longer be necessary. The
leadership also takes steps to provide for the long-range support (e.g., adequate staff development, time
to plan) of the character education initiative, including, ideally, support at the district and state levels. In
addition, within the school, students assume developmentally appropriate roles in leading the character
education effort through, for example, class meetings, student government, peer mediation, cross-age
tutoring, service clubs, task forces, and student-led initiatives.

9.1 The school’s character education initiative has leaders, including the school principal,
who champion character education efforts, share leadership, and provide long-range support.

† Stakeholders (i.e., faculty, parents, students, community members) report that the principal is a visible and
supportive champion of the effort, who values and trusts their input, but that if the principal left the school,
character education efforts would continue at full strength as a result of shared leadership and school culture.
† Actions and statements of the principal and other key leaders (e.g., articulation of goals and principles;
modeling and personal example; and decisions regarding policies, personnel, staff development, and
allocation of time and other resources) are clearly supportive of character education and the long-range
survival and growth of the initiative.
(For districts):
† Character education is a shared priority of the district board and district superintendent.
† The district hires school principals and central office personnel committed to character education and
encourages them to incorporate character education into their work and evaluation of staff.
† The district requires central office personnel (e.g., superintendents, athletic directors, directors of guidance
and other student and administrative services) to incorporate character education into their work.

9.2 A leadership group or structure (several linked groups) inclusive of staff, students, and
parents guides the ongoing planning and implementation of the character education initiative
and encourages the involvement of the whole school in character-related activities.

† An inclusive leadership group or structure (e.g., character education committee or task force, standing
school committee(s), committee of the whole) guides character education strategic planning and
implementation. Artifacts such as minutes, strategic plans, and/or project portfolios describe this
group’s activities. Stakeholders can identify the groups or structures that guide character education
planning and ways they can have input into decisions that affect them. They report shared ownership of
the decision-making process.


† The school’s regular governing mechanisms assume responsibility for management of character-related
policies and plans.
† (For districts): An on-going district-community character education committee guides the planning and
implementation of districtwide character education efforts. The committee includes representatives of
local government agencies, business partners, religious organizations, youth organizations, parents,
students, and staff representatives from the schools.

9.3 Students are explicitly involved in creating and maintaining a sense of community and
in other leadership roles that contribute to the character education effort.

† Students create and maintain standards of behavior (e.g., classroom rules, honor code) and have
responsible roles within the classroom and school community (e.g., character ambassadors, safety
patrols, student government, honor councils, peer mediators, school newspaper editors) and opportunities
for leadership at various levels (e.g., learning groups, classrooms, the school, extracurricular activities).
† Students value the leadership roles available to them and identify themselves as members of wider
communities (e.g., state, nation, world) in which they can play positive and contributory roles.
† Multiple artifacts recognize the recruitment, training, and activities involved in student-led projects.

sourcebook
Understanding Effective Leadership, page 5
Fostering Shared Leadership, page 25
Developing Student Leadership, page 33
Roles & Responsibilities of Leaders, page 48


Districtwide Commitment to Character Education
The Lindbergh School District, named a District of
Character in 2008, took its first official steps to introduce
character education in all its buildings in 1989. Since then
the district has provided the philosophical framework,
financial support, release time, and professional training
to sustain its initial commitment. The district promotes
Professional Learning Communities in each of its schools,
so that teachers, functioning in a collegial relationship,
can share ideas on academic, character, and leadership
objectives. Three of Lindbergh’s elementary schools have
become National Schools of Character: Kennerly (2000),
Lindbergh School District Sappington (2008), and Long (2009).
St. Louis County, Missouri


PRIncIPlE 10 The school engages families and community members as
partners in the character-building effort.
Schools that reach out to families and include them in character-building efforts greatly enhance their
chances for success with students. They communicate with families—via newsletters, e-mails, family
nights, the school website, and parent conferences—about goals and activities regarding character
education. To build greater trust between home and school, parents are represented on the character
education committee or through whatever decision-making structures exist. These schools also make
a special effort to reach out to subgroups of parents who may not feel part of the school community.
Finally, schools and families enhance the effectiveness of their partnership by recruiting the help of the
wider community (i.e., businesses, youth organizations, religious institutions, the government, and the
media) in promoting character development.

10.1 The school engages families in the character education initiative.

† Parents serve in character education leadership roles and are actively involved in carrying the
character initiative to the parent-teacher organization and parent community.
† Families report being aware and supportive of the initiative.
† The school offers workshops and resources on character education and general parenting skills.
† Parents are recruited, trained and frequently volunteer and are active contributors to and participants
in school and classroom events that go beyond fundraising.
† The school office is welcoming to parents, and staff prioritize inclusive outreach to parents.

10.2 The administration and faculty regularly communicate with parents and guardians,
providing suggestions and activities that help them reinforce the core values, and they
survey parents, both formally and informally, on the effectiveness of the school’s character
education efforts.

† The school communicates with families about its character education efforts using a variety of
techniques (e.g., report cards, notes, e-mails, phone calls, newsletters, parent-teacher conferences,
group meetings, workshops, websites).
† The school can provide evidence of strong two-way communication regarding the character education
initiative. Parents do not just receive information from the school, they also provide input, guidance, and
evaluation data to the school regarding the effectiveness of the initiative and how it might be improved.
† Strategies are in place to welcome new families to school and orient them to the school’s character
education mission.


10.3 The school recruits the help of the wider community.

† Community members (e.g., representatives of local government agencies, business partners, religious
organizations, youth organizations, other schools) serve in character education leadership roles and
are actively involved in carrying the character initiative into the larger community.
† Members of the larger community report being aware and supportive of the initiative, and elements
of the initiative may be integrated into community activities (e.g., youth sports programs, after-school
activities, youth-serving organizations such as 4-H or scouts, businesses or other organizations that
promote core values or help with service projects).
† Community members volunteer in the school and are active contributors to and participants in school
and classroom events (e.g., mentoring, tutoring, support of learning experiences).
† (For districts): The district engages a broad spectrum of the community in its character education
initiative with particular focus on involvement of appropriate local government agencies, youth-serving
organizations, and the business community.

sourcebook
Building Home-School Partnerships, page 5
Building Community Partnerships, page 17
Overview of Strategies, page 28


Involving Parents and Community Members
In keeping with its International Baccalaureate
philosophy that calls for strong parent and community
support, Wilton Manors Elementary School relies
heavily on parent involvement. Wilton Manors
hosts a variety of parent workshops and sends out all
communications in three languages: Spanish, Creole,
and English. Through a growing number of community
partnerships, the school also involves the larger
community. In one year, volunteers contributed more
than $30,000 in time and goods.

Wilton Manors Elementary School
Wilton Manors, Florida


PRIncIPlE 11 The school regularly assesses its culture and climate,
the functioning of its staff as character educators, and the extent to which its
students manifest good character.
Effective character education includes ongoing assessment of progress and outcomes using both
qualitative and quantitative measures. The school uses a variety of assessment data (e.g., academic test
scores, focus groups, survey results) that include the perceptions of students, teachers, and parents.
Schools report on this data and use it to determine next steps. Schools administer questionnaires to
stakeholders early in their character education initiative and again later to assess progress.

Three outcomes merit attention. First, schools assess the culture and climate of the school in light of
the core values by asking stakeholders questions about the extent to which members of the school
community demonstrate the core values and thereby function as an ethical learning community. For
example, schools might administer climate surveys in which they ask students whether they agree with
statements such as, “Students in this school (classroom) respect and care about each other.” Second, the
school assesses the staff’s growth as character educators by examining the extent to which they model
the core values and integrate these values into their teaching and other interactions with students.
Schools ask teachers to reflect upon their character education practices, survey students about their
perceptions of their teachers as role models, and have administrative procedures in place to monitor
desired teacher behaviors. Third, the school assesses student character by examining the degree to which
students manifest understanding of, commitment to, and action upon the core ethical values. Schools
can, for example, gather data on various character-related behaviors (e.g., attendance, suspensions,
vandalism, service hours, drug incidents, and cheating). Effective schools collect data on desired
outcomes in student attitudes and behaviors and report to parents on students’ growth in character just
as they report academic progress (e.g., on report cards, during parent/teacher conferences).

11.1 The school sets goals and regularly assesses (both quantitatively and qualitatively)
its culture, climate, and functioning as an ethical learning community.

† The school can provide artifacts demonstrating character education assessment results and conclusions
drawn from these results (e.g., data on school climate and academic integrity gathered from students,
staff, and parents).
† The school uses qualitative and quantitative data in an ongoing manner to make changes and
improvements to the character education initiative (e.g., data on academic achievement shows positive
results since the implementation and growth of the character education initiative).
† (For districts): The district arranges for and finances assessment of the district’s character education initiative.

11.2 Staff members reflect upon and report on their efforts to implement character
education, as well as on their growth as character educators.

† Teachers periodically gather feedback from their students on their perceptions of character-related
activities and the extent to which teachers are modeling the core values.


† The school requires all staff to report on their efforts to meet character education goals (e.g., through staff surveys).
† Staff examine and reflect on data through structured and informal opportunities (e.g., focus groups,
faculty discussions, and committee meetings).
† The school staff reports to stakeholders on efforts to implement character education.
† (For districts): The district builds implementation of character education into the assessment of
school principals and in turn asks principals to evaluate integration of character education into their
assessments of school staff.

11.3 The school assesses student progress in developing an understanding of and a
commitment to good character and the degree to which students act upon the core values.

† The school uses a variety of approaches (e.g., report cards, student-led parent/teacher conferences,
goal-setting rubrics) to assess student progress in the area of character development.
† In questionnaires and reflections on character-related behaviors and core values, students rate the importance
of core values in their lives as high (e.g., on a survey question such as “Students in the school (classroom)
respect and care about each other,” more than 80 percent of students would agree or highly agree).
† Data collected on student behavior (e.g., attendance, suspensions, vandalism, service hours, drug
incidents, and cheating) demonstrate growth in the understanding of and commitment to good character.
† Program development and modifications can be attributed to evaluation.

sourcebook
Step-by-Step Guide to Evaluation, page 21
Glossary of Terms, page 60
Evaluation Instruments, page 62
for information about climate surveys and other assessment tools,
visit www.character.org/assessment


Regular Assessment Ensures Achievement for All
Julian Elementary consciously works to raise the academic
bar for all its students, 57 percent of whom qualify for
free and reduced-price lunch. Julian provides a rigorous
academic curriculum, backed by research and supported
with tutoring opportunities, academic counseling,
problem-solving activities, and goal-setting lessons. The
school surveys all parents regularly and makes a special
effort to reach out to and listen to its minority families.
Recently, for example, the school extended its winter
vacation to accommodate the request of its Mexican
Julian Elementary School families for time to visit relatives. The results of the
Julian, California school’s focus on character and assessment are clear:
achievement and attendance continues to rise for all
students while discipline actions continue to decrease.


aBOut thE ElEVEn PRIncIPlEs
Tom Lickona, Ph.D, Eric Schaps, Ph.D, and Catherine Lewis, Ph.D., wrote the Eleven Principles of
Effective Character Education in 1995. It has since become the cornerstone of CEP’s philosophy on effective
character education, well respected in the field, and widely used by practitioners.

To provide an assessment tool based on the 11 principles and a scoring rubric by which to evaluate
National Schools of Character (NSOC) award applicants, CEP developed the Character Education Quality
Standards. CEP revised the Quality Standards document in 2003 and again in 2006, with Kathy Beland
writing the 2006 revision after coordinating feedback from the NSOC blue ribbon panel, NSOC site
visitors, and other experts in character education. In a 2008 reprinting, CEP added “performance values”
language to the document.

In 2009, CEP decided to combine the Eleven Principles and Quality Standards into a single document
and update its language to reflect current movements within education and better reflect the best practices
being implemented in model schools as revealed in NSOC applications and site visits. Rebecca Sipos and
Lara Maupin led a staff committee that included Janice Stoodley, Dr. Merle Schwartz, Barbara Luther, and
Michael Shreve. The committee worked in consultation with experts in the field of character education
and experienced character education practitioners as it wrote the 2010 revision.

CEP would like to thank the following individuals and members of the CEP Educational Advisory Council
for their insights, comments, and edits on this document: Dr. Marvin Berkowitz, Eileen Dachnowicz, Dr.
Maurice Elias, Mike Galvin, Amy Johnston, Dr. Tom Lickona, Dr. Larry Nucci, and Dr. David Wangaard.

aBOut chaRactER EducatIOn PaRtnERshIP
Character Education Partnership (CEP), founded in 1993, is the nation’s leading advocate for quality
character education. CEP’s mission is to lead the nation in helping schools develop people of good character
for a just and compassionate society.

Leading a national call to character, CEP works with federal, state, local, and nonprofit leaders to inform
discussions and encourage policy related to school culture, whole-child education, school leadership, and
character education.

CEP’s Programs
National and State Schools of Character
Every year, CEP names exemplar schools and districts (K–12) as National Schools of Character
(NSOC) to serve as models for effective character education. State sponsors conduct State Schools
of Character (SSOC) competitions as a preliminary step to advancing to the National Schools of
Character awards. CEP also gives Promising Practices awards for unique and specific strategies.
Professional Development
CEP’s professional development focuses on systemic change. CEP offers foundational training through Eleven
Principles Sourcebook Institutes along with a wide array of skill-based workshops and leadership training.
National Forum on Character Education
Each fall CEP hosts a national conference that features outstanding speakers, dynamic workshops, and
networking opportunities.


ElEVEn PRIncIPlEs scORIng guIdE
To complete a self-assessment, assemble a representative group of stakeholders (teachers and other staff, administrators,
parents, students, community members). Group members can collaborate to create one group score or complete the
assessment independently before coming to consensus on the group score.
score each item according to the following scale using whole numbers. Calculate the average of the items in each row to get a
score for each principle. Find the average of all 11 scores in the final column to obtain an overall score. Note that the key indicators
listed under each item represent the expected observable outcomes of exemplary implementation. For a score of “4” on any
item, the school or district should be able to demonstrate evidence of the full list of practices. Sometimes it may be necessary
to determine whether the school or district is closer to one score than another on an individual item. Always considering quality,
quantity, and frequency, the reviewer should look at the item holistically and choose the number closest to the level of implementation.

School/District: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Evaluator: _______________________________________________________________________ Date: __________________________

4 = Exemplary 3 = Highly Effective 2 = good 1 = lacking Evidence

item 1 item 2 item 3 item 4 Average
Principle 1
Principle 2
Principle 3
Principle 4
Principle 5
Principle 6
Principle 7
Principle 8
Principle 9
Principle 10
Principle 11

ToTAl *
* Sum of the average score for each principle divided by 11.

Strengths:

Areas for growth:

An Excel score sheet that will automatically calculate your scores is available at www.character.org/nsocapplicationprocess.)
Call CEP (800-988-8081) with questions on the scoring procedure.

ElEVEn PRIncIPlEs Of chaRactER EducatIOn
Effective character education:
PRIncIPlE 1 Promotes core values.

PRIncIPlE 2 Defines “character” to include thinking, feeling, and doing.

PRIncIPlE 3 Uses a comprehensive approach.

PRIncIPlE 4 Creates a caring community.

PRIncIPlE 5 Provides students with opportunities for moral action.

PRIncIPlE 6 Offers a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum.

PRIncIPlE 7 Fosters students’ self-motivation.

PRIncIPlE 8 Engages staff as a learning community.

PRIncIPlE 9 Fosters shared leadership.

PRIncIPlE 10 Engages families and community members as partners.

PRIncIPlE 11 Assesses the culture and climate of the school.

Character Education Partnership
1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1011
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 296-7743 (800) 988-8081
www.character.org

Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education

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