Moral Education and Character Development in Contemporary Schools

Abstract

Education should guide the whole person, fostering character, morality, and virtue alongside knowledge and skill. The Greek tradition emphasized imagination, body, soul, and character, alongside intellect. Historically, American schools valued virtue and technical skill to cultivate responsible citizens. The legal rationale for character education favors curriculum integration, addressing youth concerns and aligning with statutory and judicial mandates. Schools must teach character, writes former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, as they remain the last institution that embraces all children. Americans agree on character education’s importance, yet pluralism precludes a single framework. The moral domain of character education is particularly contentious: how does one become a good person? American education once reflected religious ideals, with Puritan virtues stressing discipline and fear of sin. Over time, political, economic, and social changes fostered moral relativism, influenced by Enlightenment thought and child-centered European educators, and increasing ethnic and religious diversity. Broadening perspectives aimed to assimilate the diverse population, yet many groups preferred separate schooling to preserve unique moral and religious identities.