Table Of ContentBerkeley County School District
Character Education Committee
Tracy Gaskins, Chair
Francis Covington Dr. Jeff Craver
Dr. Mike DiNicola Patricia Duggins
Dr. Susan Gehlmann Sandy Jennings
Amy Sklar Kathy Sullivan
Phyliss Thornthwaite Dr. Karen Whitley
Phillip Crawford
Special thanks to our artist for not only sharing his talent, but also for being a positive role
model. Samuel Amaya displays the character traits that we want in all of our students. The
committee believes this curriculum will serve as a valuable tool in the infusion of character
education into all aspects of the school environment.
“ I am currently a student at Cane Bay High School. I've been participating in art events since 5th
grade. My work has grown from having sketches in the mall to having my artwork displayed in
galleries and state wide contests. I always find great pride, joy, and pleasure in knowing that my art
is appreciated by the people who see it and the people who are around me. I've been commissioned
to do art work before and have always jumped at the chance to make something for the people that
appreciate my talent. I find art to be more than a past time and I'm always looking for new ways to
express and display my art to the public. I hope to make people see, and understand the problems
and ideas that I see through my art. I also hope to change the world some day through my talent
and have people gain an understanding for how powerful a single image can be.”—Samuel Amaya
http://www.bcsdschools.net/Page/24228
Life’s Journey
By Kathy Sullivan
Life’s journey presents many choices to make.
Your character defines the path that you take.
Will you make the choice to be kind and fair?
Will you take the time to show others you care?
When obstacles mount with unyielding force,
Will you persevere and stay the course?
When the team is down and things aren’t great
Will you abandon the group or cooperate?
When denying the truth seems the easier route,
Will your honesty allow consequences to play out?
Will you share what you have with only a few?
Or be generous with those that have less than you?
Will you arrive on time, where you’re supposed to be?
Can you demonstrate self-discipline and responsibility?
When challenges ahead prove to be a real test,
Will you be a good citizen, will you do your best?
When manners are something others choose to neglect,
Can you serve as a model to teach self-respect?
Life’s journey requires much courage and heart.
Developing character is a great place to start.
Berkeley County School District
Character Education Overview
I. Introduction: Character Education Overview
The General Assembly of South Carolina has contributed significantly to the integration of
character education in schools and character development in South Carolina communities. Prior
to 1996, local school districts developed and funded their own character education initiatives. In
1996, the State Department of Education (SDE) received a four year federal grant for design of
a long-term plan and infrastructure development for character education programs. This grant
included allotments for sub-grants to over half the state school districts. As the federal grant
was concluding, the General Assembly passed the South Carolina Family Respect Act and
appropriated $265,000 for the character education initiative in the Department of Education.
The Family Respect Act defined the importance of family values and civic virtue as cornerstones
of self-government. In Section 59-17-135 (http://www.scstatehouse.net/code/t59c017.htm),
the legislation mandated that each local school board develop a policy addressing character
education and required that both policy and resulting programs be evaluated. This legislation
helped raise the stature of character education among educators as an enhancement to
academic and social success in schools.
In 2002, the State Department of Education drafted and approved a strategic plan to insure
continued academic improvement among South Carolina students. Aims of high student
achievement, teacher quality, early childhood education, parental & community partnerships,
safe & healthy schools, and educational leadership were identified as challenges for educators to
address. In support of these goals, character education initiatives grew to include not only
school-based programs but also to business and community partnerships.
In the year 2005, the South Carolina General Assembly passed comprehensive legislation to
develop career clusters for students and increase high school graduation rates. Revising the
code from the Family Respect Act and replacing the School-to-Work Transition Act of 1994, the
legislature passed the South Carolina Education and Economic Development Act on May 24,
2005 (http://www.scstatehouse.net/sess116_2005-2006/bills/3155.htm). In Section 15-17-
135, the amended code outlined twenty-four character traits to be addressed in character
education programs implemented by local school boards of South Carolina. This legislation
reinforces the concept that character development is integral to success in school, work, and life.
For further information about current education-related legislation, including recommended
district actions, policy references, and amended state regulations, see the South Carolina School
Boards Association web site.
As stated in the Berkeley County School District (BSCD) board policy (IDAAA Character
Education) adopted in September of 2007, the board is committed to the ideals of good
character and citizenship through Character Education. Accomplishing the ideals of Character
Education fits within our BCSD Vision “to challenge and empower our students to be successful
in a highly competitive world.” Furthermore, the ideals of strong Character Education align with
the district’s Mission to “foster opportunities for each student to build a legacy of success.”
To include a program that contained a meaningful uniform curriculum that respects ethnicity,
religion, gender, and socio-economic status, BCSD staff members were selected for the
Character Education Task Force. The charge was to develop a Character Education Framework
for all grade levels where mutual respect and positive behaviors are taught, practiced,
demonstrated, modeled, and reinforced.
From various resources including the Character Education Partnership and Richland School
District One’s Character Education information, a review of the literature, and from the input of
BCSD school educators, parents, and community members, the Character Education Task Force
deemed the following ten traits as the most important qualities to emphasize in a consistent
and uniform manner over the course of each academic year. A major goal is to teach the
overall definitions of and the specific behaviors that accompany the following traits:
August Setting Expectations: This month will be set aside for each school to
introduce its respective program and behavioral expectations for the
academic year. Depending upon the culture and needs of each
individual school, school-wide themes/Positive Behavioral Intervention
& Supports (PBIS) acronyms to address character education (i.e.
Peaceful Fawns, Star Students, CARES, etc) would be introduced,
taught and recognized by all staff members. A review of the
behavioral expectations in the various settings (media center,
cafeteria, hallway, etc.) in each school would be imperative. Flexibility
for introduction and implementation would depend upon each school’s
needs.
September Respect---to show regard or consideration for authority, for others,
for self, for property and for country. An understanding that all people
have value as human beings. Explicit examples of the ways that
respectful language is shown to peers and adults along with other
forms of respect would be a priority.
October Responsibility---reliability or dependability in carrying out one’s
obligations and duties to others and within their community; being
accountable for your own actions. Behavioral examples of the way one
shows responsibility would be reviewed.
November Citizenship---the positive behavioral attributes of an individual
viewed as a member of society who carries out the obligations and
duties associated with being a productive citizen. Teaching key
concepts/examples of citizenship such as obeying the law, voting,
reading about current issues in government/politics, contacting elected
officials to make your feelings known, and volunteering to help others.
December Generosity---a willingness to give of yourself to others as well as a
willingness to share your resources. Stories, folktales, as well as
historical figures that have shared time and/or been philanthropic
would be appropriate to help teach this behavioral trait.
January Self-Discipline---an awareness of the need for and the benefits of
using impulse control in order to attain personal enhancement. For
example, having students analyze various situations to determine the
degree of control an individual has over one’s own behaviors. These
and other strategies could lead to the development of realistic
behavior change plans to promote self-control.
February Kindness & Compassion---being courteous, considerate and helpful
to others; treating others as you would like to be treated; showing
sympathy and concern for others. Discussion & lesson plans of the
behaviors that are associated with these concepts would be extremely
helpful in their promotion.
March Perseverance---being persistent in one’s efforts to accomplish a
purpose or goal despite difficulty or obstacles; willingness to try again
despite mistakes and failures. Specific behavioral traits that lead to
positive personal and group outcomes would be important to
emphasize.
April Honesty & Integrity---being truthful in a variety of social settings
and environments; behavioral attributes that lead to outcomes that
are fair, just, and show positive work ethics.
May Fairness & Cooperation---a relationship with another that results in
feelings of caring, support and helping the other person to be their
best.
II. Purpose of Character Education
As educators and community members, we have a moral responsibility to foster the
development of children and youth as human beings of character. Secondly, because we live
and teach in a democratic society, we have a responsibility to educate students as to what
behaviors constitute the concept of citizenship, not just for themselves, but for those who will
come after them as well. Citizenship relies on some notion of character.
One of the purposes of public education in our country is to prepare young people for citizenship.
Beyond being able to read, write, and figure, it is good for citizens to be honest, practice self-
control, and be inclined toward service. In the 1960s and 70s, it is likely that we were
influenced by the ongoing historical events of the war in Vietnam, the Civil Rights movement,
and the feminist movement, the values clarification approach to character education took hold
and became popular. The values clarification approach was a response to the long, difficult,
and unfinished self-examination by Americans during that period. The war raised issues of
rights and responsibilities as well as of “what was right.” The civil rights and feminist
movements raised issues of values; and as groups fought for their rights, the value of
differences between them and the majority society became evident.
What is Character Education?
Character Education is a national movement creating schools that foster ethical, responsible, and
caring young people by modeling and teaching good character through an emphasis on universal
traits that we all share. It is the intentional, proactive effort by schools, districts, and states to
instill in their students important core ethical traits such as caring, honesty, fairness,
responsibility, and respect for self and others. Character Education should never be considered
as a “quick fix”. It provides long-term solutions that address moral, ethical, and academic
issues that are of growing concern about our society and the safety of our schools.
For a large percentage of schools in our district, there are formal School Wide Positive Behavioral
Supports (SWPBS) in place. For those schools, this SWPBS universal intervention tier is
character education. SWPBS is a broad range of systemic and individualized strategies for
achieving important social and learning outcomes while preventing problem behaviors.
Additionally, character traits and lessons from character education program can be used in
SWPBS, especially if explicit skills are taught in specific school contexts (i.e., teaching matrix of
expectations.) One outstanding aspect of SWPBS is that the lessons and expectations can be
tailored for the specific school needs based on the discipline referral data. The added benefit of
the Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports model is that it goes an extra step beyond
traditional character education to help formalize reward/incentive systems for students and data
collection systems.
Why is Character Education necessary?
Good character is not formed automatically; it is developed over time through a sustained
process of teaching, example, learning, and practice – it is developed through Character
Education. The intentional teaching of good character is particularly important in today’s society
since our youth face many opportunities and dangers unknown to earlier generations. They are
bombarded with many more negative influences through the media and other external sources
prevalent in today’s culture. And at the same time, there are many more day-to-day pressures
intruding on the time that parents and children have together. Since children spend about 900
hours a year in school, it is essential that schools resume a proactive role in assisting families,
and, in order to create safe schools that are the caring and respectful. To have a united front, it
is imperative to be intentional, proactive, and comprehensive in the efforts to encourage the
development of good character in young people.
How does Character Education work?
To be effective, Character Education must include the entire school community and must be
embedded throughout the entire school curriculum and culture by teaching the behaviors that
are based on a particular trait. Just as a teacher is unable to teach the meaning of every word,
but can teach word stems, it is important to teach the overall “concepts” of respect,
perseverance, etc. Character Education promotes the teaching of the behaviors of core traits in
all phases of school life and includes proactive strategies and practices that help children to
understand core, ethical traits.
Schools: To create a positive culture in the school, it is necessary to develop an overall
environment that supports the traits taught in the classroom. This is accomplished through
appropriate adult role models, school-wide efforts to teach the behavioral expectations, a sense
of community, democratic student government, a supportive, respectful community among
adults, and opportunities to address societal concerns. Involving parents and the community as
partners to foster caring beyond the classroom and by using inspiring exemplar role models, will
also provide for community service opportunities to help students learn to care for others.
Teachers: The reality is that teachers play many roles on a daily basis. Depending on the grade
level, it is common that they act as coach, caregiver, model and mentor, treating students with
love and respect, setting a good example and supporting pro-social behavior, and correcting
hurtful actions. The teacher creates a community with clear expectations that helps students to
respect and care about each other and feel valued within the group. In addition, a democratic
classroom environment will also evolve where students are involved in decision-making, can
apply rules to foster moral reasoning, learn self-control, a respect for others, and to teach traits
through the curriculum by using academic subjects as a vehicle for examining societal issues of
importance. The power of cooperative learning also helps to teach children to work together,
the development of a sense of academic responsibility, and regard for the value of learning and
work are some of the sought-after outcomes. Other goals for learning are self-reflection that
may involve moral development through reading, writing, discussion, decision-making exercises,
healthy debate, and conflict resolution. These objectives can lead students to approach discord
in fair, non-violent ways.
What are the goals of Character Education?
Even though a literature review reveals that there is little consensus as to the universal goals of
Character Education, the basic hope from a school perspective is that Character Education will
lead to:
1. Good People – Asserts that we need good character to be fully human. We need
strengths of mind, heart, and will and qualities like good judgment, honesty, empathy,
caring, perseverance, and self-discipline to be capable of love and work, two of the
hallmarks of human maturity.
2. Good Schools - Asserts that we need schools that embody good character. Schools are
better places – certainly more conducive to teaching and learning – when they are civil,
caring, and purposeful communities that model, teach, and uphold high standards of
conduct in all phases of school life.
3. Good Society – Asserts that character education is essential to the task of building a
moral society. Societal problems, such as violence, dishonesty, greed, family
disintegration, the growing number of children living in poverty, the battering of women,
have deep roots and require systemic solutions. But it is not possible to build a virtuous
society if virtue does not exist in the minds, hearts, and souls of individual human beings.
The school, like the family and the church, is one of the potential seedbeds of virtue.
What is a school of character like?
There is no one particular look or formula, but schools of character have one thing in common: a
socially wide commitment to nurture the “whole” child. Students become stronger and better
skilled because they socially, ethically, and academically have character development infused
into every part of their curriculum and culture. Specifically, a school committed to Character
Education explicitly names and publicly stands for specific core traits and promulgates them to
all members of the school community. They define the traits and explicit behaviors that can be
observed in the life of the school, and they model, study, and discuss them, and use them as the
basis for all human relations in the school. They uphold the traits by manifestation in the school
and community. Systematic Character Education works in nearly every school environment,
from small to large, and from urban to suburban to rural.
Is Character Education as important as academics?
The social, ethical, and emotional development of young people is just as important as the
academic development. Theodore Roosevelt stated: “To educate a man in mind and not in
morals is to educate a menace to society.” After all, we know that good workers, citizens,
parents, and neighbors all have their roots in good character. Therefore, it is critical to create
schools that simultaneously foster character development and promote learning. In fact,
Character Education promotes academic excellence because it lays a foundation for all learning
that takes place in school. Respectful behavior in the classroom leads to more engaged time
with students, thus more learning and academic success.
Isn’t Character Education just another “add-on” that adds to teachers’ workloads?
Character Education is not an “add-on”, but is a comprehensive approach that promotes core
traits in all phases of school life and permeates the entire school culture. It is not an imposition
on already overburdened schools; rather, it helps educators fulfill their fundamental
responsibility to prepare young children for their future by laying a foundation for learning by
creating caring, respectful, and safe school environments. Teachers are reporting that their jobs
become easier with the implementation of a systematic, consistent Character Education
programs such as Second Step, Peaceful Classroom in Action, and Positive Behavioral
Interventions & Supports (PBIS) because the outcomes are that fewer Office Discipline Referrals
(ODR) will occur that detract from teaching time.
How much time each day/week is needed for Character Education?
Character Education should take place throughout the entire school day as administrators,
teachers, and other school staff members are presented with opportunities for “teachable
moments” to define, model, and recognize positive character behaviors. Character Education
should not be relegated to a “Character Education class” that is conducted periodically, but
should be infused throughout the structures and processes of the entire school curriculum and
cultures.
Can Character Education work at all grade levels?
Yes. Taking in consideration each schools’ “culture” and needs, it is possible to utilize various
age appropriate strategies and practices to teach social and emotional skills in the earliest
grades, to service learning and acceptance of others that may be different in the secondary
schools. It is important to set a strong foundation during the earlier grades and to reinforce and
build upon that foundation during the later grades. However, Character Education can be
initiated at any grade level.
Why is Character Education re-emerging now?
Although Character Education has always been of vital importance, schools strayed from
proactive efforts to incorporate character development into their teaching in past decades.
Ironically, this negligence came at a time when the need became greater due to increased
challenges in promoting ethical behavior for our students. The recognition that taking a “zero
tolerance” approach to discipline issues by organizations such as the American Bar Association
and National School Boards Association does not teach new skills and thus needs to be either
modified or stopped. Character Education understanding that skills need to be taught, modeled,
practiced, and acknowledged. Now, Character Education is becoming a priority in our nation’s
education reform as we are increasingly realizing that character development must be an
intentional part of education rather than just attributes that happen naturally.
Shouldn’t parents be the primary character educators?
Developing good character is first and foremost a parental responsibility, but the task is also
naturally shared with schools and the broader community. Given ever changing technological
advances, constant societal changes, and economic changes that greatly impact families, it is
natural for schools to assist in teaching positive character attributes. Schools can provide the
structure, consistency, and positive role models that can lead to the outcome of successful
character traits.
Who decides what Character Education traits are emphasized?
It is very important that each school community reach consensus on what expectations best fit
within the context of each individual school environment. To be effective, school-based
Character Education programs need broad support from all stakeholders in the community –
educators, parents, community leaders, youth service groups, businesses, and faith/charitable
groups. Schools should always collaborate with parents and the communities to craft a shared
vision and objectives; and collectively they should identify the core traits to be taught in their
respective schools. In many respects, teaching behavior and expectations is very similar to
teaching academic skills. We would never continue to punish or reprimand a student for making
an error when dividing numbers; instead, we would show the correct way so that the error would
not become habit. Plus, good teaching would require rehearsal of the correct skill and
reinforcement for performing the math computation correctly.
Who teaches Character Education in a school?
Inherently, all educators and support staff in a school is a character educator by virtue of
exposure to students. Regardless of whether a school has formalized Character Education, all
adults serve as role models. Students constantly watch adults in the school – teachers,
administrators, counselors, coaches, secretaries, bus drivers, etc. – serve as models for
character – whether good or bad. Beyond modeling, no matter what the academic subject or
extra-curricular activity, educators are afforded the opportunity to develop good character in
their students on a daily basis by intentionally teaching school/classroom expectations, selecting
character-based lessons and activities, and by the way they show respect as they educate their
students.
Are schools qualified to teach Character Education?
Many teachers across the country are being trained in Character Education through staff
development and in-services. For example, the Office of Special Education Program’s Technical
Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a collaboration
between the U.S. Department of Education and 11 technical assistance units across the United
States, is free and extremely comprehensive. The logic for the Center is based on (a)
Description:Will you abandon the group or cooperate? When denying the truth seems the easier route,. Will your honesty allow consequences to play out? Will you share (reflection, similarities and differences, feelings change, preferences, conflicting feelings, expressing concern). Superfudge by Judy Blume.
