hroughout history, and in cultures all over the world, education rightly conceived has had A Report to the Nation two great goals: to help students become smart and to help them become good. They Tneed character for both. Performance character is the pathway to excellence; moral charac- ter is the pathway to ethical behavior. Performance character and moral character are, in turn, defined in terms of eight strengths of character needed for human flourishing over a lifetime: Smart & Good 8 Strengths of Character High Schools 1. Lifelong learner and critical thinker 8. Spiritual person 2. Diligent and Integrating Excellence engaged in crafting a capable performer life of noble purpose Schools High Smart & Good and Ethics for Success in School, Work, and Beyond 7. Contributing community 3. Socially and member and emotionally democratic skilled person citizen Self-disciplined 6. Ethical thinker person who pursues 4. a healthy lifestyle 5. Respectful and responsible moral agent Promising Practices for Building A home run! The Smart & Good Schools model ties academic performance to character in a new and exciting way and applies equally to middle and elementary schools. 8 Strengths of Character That Help Youth —MARVIN BERKOWITZ, CO-EDITOR, JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN CHARACTER EDUCATION Lead Productive, Ethical, and Fulfilling Lives A milestone contribution to character education and the entire educational reform movement. Applicable to every level of education, K-16. —SANFORD N. MCDONNELL, FORMER CEO, MCDONNELL DOUGLAS; Thomas Lickona, Ph.D. & Matthew Davidson, Ph.D. FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, CHARACTER EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP Center for the 4th and 5th Rs (Respect and Responsibility) State University of New York College at Cortland Dr. Thomas Lickona Dr. Matthew Good S is Director of the Davidson is Director & ch rt o Character Education Partnership a o Center for the 4th of the Institute for l m s and 5th Rs at SUNY Excellence Washington, D.C. S Cortland. & Ethics (IEE). Major support provided by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation The SMART & GOOD SCHOOLS INITIATIVE is a project of the Good S & ch rt o CENTER FOR THE 4TH AND 5TH RS (607/753-2455; email: [email protected]; www.cortland.edu/character) and a o l m s S the INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE AND ETHICS (IEE) (315/677-8114; email: [email protected]). “A brilliant blend of research, conceptual clarity, and real-world best practices..” To order copies of this report: 888/262-0572; ngriffi[email protected]; or www.charactereducation.com. —Journal of Research in Character Education To learn how to become part of the SMART & GOOD SCHOOLS INITIATIVE, contact: [email protected]. Announcing: excellence & ethics The Education Letter of the SMART &GOOD SCHOOLS INITIATIVE Scope: K-12 Focus: Best practices that help students, teachers, school leaders, parents, and community members do their best work and do the right thing. Featuring: Articles by school practitioners, researchers, and leading educational experts. To subscribe (free), go to: www.cortland.edu/character/excellenceandethics.asp. To submit an article for consideration, email: [email protected]. “Character is power.”—Booker T. Washington The power comes from the integration of excellence and ethics. An invitation to join the SMART &GOOD SCHOOLS INITIATIVE Maximizing the Power of Character A project of the CENTER FOR THE 4TH AND 5TH RS and the INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE &ETHICS (IEE) The SMART &GOOD SCHOOLS INITIATIVE is engaged in research, development, trainings, and dissemination to build a network of Smart & Good Schools. The mission of a Smart & Good School is to develop an Ethical Learning Community whose members support and challenge each other to do their best work (performance character) and be their best ethical self (moral character). To learn more about how to join and participate in the SMART &GOOD SCHOOLS INITIATIVE, e-mail: [email protected]. Major support for the SMART & GOOD SCHOOLS INITIATIVE is provided by the John Templeton Foundation. Advance Praise for Smart & Good High Schools The genius of Smart & Good High Schools is that it An amazing report. The eight strengths of charac- uses a values-based approach to address schools’ ter, the performance character/moral character two most important outcomes: academic skills distinction, and the ethical learning community and personal and civic virtues. These twin bea- are all important conceptual advances. This is the cons will resonate with faculties, kids, and fami- most promising pathway for genuine transforma- lies in the independent school world. tion of high schools that I have seen. —PATRICK BASSETT, PRESIDENT, —MAURICE ELIAS, COLLABORATIVE FOR ACADEMIC, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING Tom Lickona and Matt Davidson have hit a home This ground-breaking study will change forever how run with the Smart & Good High Schools model. we think about the high school experience, how high It ties academic performance to character in a schools function, and what it means to be a great new and exciting way. This model applies equally high school that truly meets the needs of all of its well to middle and elementary schools. students. It provides example after example of the —MARVIN BERKOWITZ, CO-EDITOR, best practices that the best high schools are using to JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN CHARACTER EDUCATION foster both the academic and character develop- ment of their students. A brilliant report—a seminal A fabulous piece of work. It brings together Aris- study—a major new contribution to the field. totle and Plato, East and West, traditional and —KRISTIN DANIELSON FINK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, progressive, liberal and conservative, religious COMMUNITY OF CARING and secular, Alasdair MacIntyre and Alfie Kohn without losing firm foundations. Masterfully We are already using performance character and done. This will do enormous good. moral character as a litmus test to assess many —KAREN BOHLIN, HEAD OF SCHOOL, aspects of our school’s program. So many ideas MONTROSE SCHOOL in this report pass the “Velcro Test”—they’re easy to understand and stick to the mind! True education is the integration of character and —MALCOLM GAULD, PRESIDENT, competence. This excellent manual will help our THE HYDE SCHOOLS children succeed both personally and professionally. —STEPHEN COVEY, An outstanding report—well-written, research- THE 8TH HABIT: FROM EFFECTIVENESS TO GREATNESS based, comprehensive, and compelling. The strong emphasis on democratic learning and on Good character is not just a personal or familial the renewed civic mission of schools is a wonder- trait but one that positively establishes the tone ful contribution to all educators seeking to re- of our entire social network. Self-control in the engage students in public life. sexual arena is similar to self-control in other are- —CHARLES HAYNES, SENIOR SCHOLAR, nas-—it requires practice and persistence. The FIRST AMENDMENT CENTER consequences of adolescent sexual activity, with or without pregnancy, with or without STDs, Tom Lickona and Matt Davidson have put togeth- reverberate in their adult lives. Whereas some er an extraordinary resource that will strengthen writers are reluctant to state the obvious, Lickona any character development program as well as and Davidson demonstrate how character and stimulate innovations—especially in high schools, physical and emotional health are linked. where attention to character is so much needed. —JOHN DIGGS, M.D., CO-CHAIR, —MICHAEL JOSEPHSON, PRESIDENT, MASSACHUSETTS PHYSICIANS RESOURCE COUNCIL CHARACTER COUNTS! COALITION d H oo igh G S c & t h r o a o l s m S i A wonderful piece of work that addresses an Approximately three-quarters of college students urgent need. This timely, thorough, and thought- say they have cheated on a test or major assign- ful report will provide a strong practical guide ment in the past year—a problem we need to for high schools as they work to foster the char- address before students get to college. This report acter development of American adolescents. shows us how to engage high school students in —RACHAEL KESSLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, creating a culture of character that promotes THE PASSAGEWAYS INSTITUTE integrity as a core value. —DONALD MCCABE, FOUNDING PRESIDENT, I flat-out love the chapter on the Professional Eth- CENTER FOR ACADEMIC INTEGRITY ical Learning Community. Adding the ethical dimension is brilliant. Can’t wait to use this with A milestone contribution to the field of character my faculty! education and to the entire educational reform —LAWRENCE KOHN, PRINCIPAL, QUEST SCHOOL movement. Applicable to every level of educa- tion, K-16. The concept of performance character and —SANFORD N. MCDONNELL, FORMER CEO, moral character will be extremely useful at the MCDONNELL DOUGLAS; CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, high school level. I also applaud the inclusion of CHARACTER EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP the spiritual dimension—too often omitted— defined in language that will resonate with a wide All the way through you know you’re enjoying range of educators and parents. someone’s labor of love. This is really going to —MEG KORPI, PRESIDENT, be helpful to high school educators. CHARACTER RESEARCH INSTITUTE —KEVIN RYAN, CO-AUTHOR, BUILDING CHARACTER IN SCHOOLS I am awed by this undertaking. The eight strengths of character offer a clear vision of Sensible recommendations—though not easy or human flourishing. This report will have a long, obvious—and written in clear English. Bravo! salutary impact on education generally and will —TED SIZER, FOUNDER, be the standard reference on high school charac- COALITION OF ESSENTIAL SCHOOLS ter education for years to come. —DAN LAPSLEY, CO-EDITOR, There's been an important component of educa- CHARACTER PSYCHOLOGY AND CHARACTER EDUCATION tion missing in our high schools for many years: the blending of character development with aca- A great work that provides a road map for high demic training. Tom Lickona and Matt Davidson schools. I am already using it with education stu- have done a marvelous job of putting together a dents in my college classes.