Current Issues in Education > Volume 6, 2003 > Number 18

Citation Information

Gary, K. (2003, November 17). An integrated approach to character education in an alternative high school. Current Issues in Education [On-line], 6(18). Available: http://cie.ed.asu.edu/volume6/number18/

An Integrated Approach to Character Education in an Alternative High School

Gary Kiltz
Arizona State University

Abstract

Character education may no longer be in vogue especially in light of accountability measures that stress core academic subjects like math, reading, and writing. However, the use of an integrated character education program that stresses social and emotional development is no less important than academic subjects in alternative school settings with students who are at-risk of not graduating. By providing opportunities for student reflection on a core set of values, students begin to internalize these values and make decisions that prompt life-changing personal revelations, which lead to greater resiliency and commitment to succeed. In particular, one alternative school provides an integrated character education program that combines adventure education activities, community service projects, personal portfolio development, and quarterly writing opportunities that focus on case studies dealing with specific character traits as a way to promote personal growth.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Definition and Rationale for Character Education
• Context
• Comprehensive Character Education Program
• Thematic Units
• Adventure Program
• Integrated Community Service Projects
• Portfolio Development
• Concluding Thoughts
• References

Introduction

According to James Froude, "You can not dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge one for yourself" (Edwards, 1957). Schools are instrumental in helping children "forge" this sense of character that becomes the foundation for a socially responsible and just community. At an alternative high school in the Phoenix metropolitan area, character education is critical in order to foster students' personal improvement, including social and emotional growth. Through this personal growth, students develop a moral strength that allows them to be socially responsible community members. Character education is integrated into the entire academic program in order to give students an opportunity to improve self-image, self-esteem, and pro-social attitudes. To accomplish this, character education is embedded in an adventure education program, school-wide community service projects that are sponsored by each classroom, personal portfolio development, and quarterly writing opportunities that focus on case studies of specific character traits. When combined, all of these strategies provide a comprehensive approach to character education that builds each student's sense of worth.

Definition and Rationale for Character Education

Character education has taken on several different forms and has been the topic of serious debate in school districts. Many individual schools hesitate to stress the teaching of character, because of the religious overtones associated with the values that are stressed. Embedded in this argument is the assumption that only religion can serve as the foundation for good character (Kohn, 1997). However, like many other advocates of character education (Lickona, 1996; Etzioni, 1997; Kohn, 1997; DeRoche & Williams, 1998), I believe that a core set of universal values that transcend religion can help guide students in becoming compassionate, caring community members.

Although usually viewed as a primary role of parents, character education has always been a key purpose of schooling (DeRoche & Williams, 1998). In the early stages of public schooling, character education focused on establishing obedience and compliance and was melded more into a disciplinary code that enforced conformity. Within recent years, schools have adopted "citizenship" programs that again focus more on ideas of complicity and conformity as part of a character education program than on the personal development of an ethical mind and heart. Rather than promoting character education as a disciplinary program in schools, advocates of character education view it as an opportunity to develop habits of the mind, heart, and behavior (Bellah, 1985; Etzioni, 1997). "Good character is about knowing the good, loving the good, and doing the good" (Ryan & Bohlin, 1999, p. 5). The Character Education Partnership defines character education as "the deliberate effort by schools, families, and communities to help young people understand, care about, and act upon core ethical values" (Huffman, 1994, p. 1). Character goes beyond compliance and is a reflection of our "intellectual and moral habits" (Ryan & Bohlin, 1999, p. 9). It requires commitment and action in order for every student to become the best possible person that each one can be.

Although proponents of character education see discipline as a component, it should not be the only reason that schools use to justify the implementation of a character education program. For example, Lickona (1996) sees creating safe schools as a necessary part of any character education program, but also identifies two other important reasons. Lickona recognizes the need for good character in order to become fully human. He calls this "strength of mind, heart, and will" (Lickona, 1996, p. 93). Lickona (1996) also sees character education as essential to the task of building a moral society. As another example, Etzioni (1997) notes two essential features of character development: self discipline, which "allows children to defer gratification and to adhere to a set of values" (p. 91); and empathy that "allows them to stand in other people's shoes, so the values they choose are appropriate ones" (p. 9). At the alternative high school, the school community embraces a model of character education that goes beyond enforcing codes of compliance. The character education program creates situations that provide opportunities for students to think internally about their own value structures and to begin to act in ways that reflect "strength of mind, heart, and will" (Lickona, 1996, p. 93).

Although the focus in most schools has been on aligning curriculum and instruction with state standards and assessments in math, reading, and writing, serious issues related to student interactions and the development of school community plague our schools. Lickona (1996) identifies ten troubling youth trends including issues of rising youth violence, increases in peer hazing and cruelty, and a surge of self-destructive behaviors. According to Spencer Kagan (2001), "more than three-quarters of those who had resorted to school violence had a grievance. Two-thirds of all attackers felt persecuted, harassed, or bullied. Many had discussed the harassment with friends seeking solutions" (p. 50). Strong feelings of isolation, shame, and desperation are reflected in the actions of many students who become delinquents and at-risk of not graduating. The increasingly violent actions of students reflected in studies by the Josephson Institute of Ethics (1998, 2001) are only the cancers, but not the cause. In order to proactively address these issues in classrooms, districts and schools need to provide a sense of community, mutual caring, and a moral compass that navigate students through the difficult stages of adolescence.

Unfortunately, many school districts have instituted "zero tolerance" policies as reactive measures against school violence and have not developed school programs that prevent or take a proactive stand in relation to student aggression. These zero tolerance policies do little to deal with the real issues of isolation, bullying, and intimidation that are causes of serious violence. Along with this, policies of zero tolerance send a message that runs counter to other messages that schools are trying to convey through multi-cultural classes, diversity classes, and other programs that provide opportunities for students with various needs and abilities to interact. Daniel Perlstein (2000) also points out that punishment presupposes that students understand what types of actions are not permitted and that the sources of school violence are simple, clear-cut situations. However, this is not the case. Sources of violence are ambiguous and complicated social phenomena. Zero tolerance policies are simple-minded answers that provide no real solution to the issues of school violence.

According to Perlstein (2000), the real goal for educators should be to conceptualize school safety as a curricular issue rather than a disciplinary one. Character education provides one way of addressing these issues in a proactive, nurturing educational environment. Character education then serves to provide educational opportunities to students in order to help them become good people. Character education is not "a collection of exhortations and extrinsic inducements designed to make children work harder and do what they are told" (Kohn, 1997, p. 429). Rather, character education teaches a system of values by inviting children to reflect on complex issues, to recast them in light of their own experiences and questions, to develop a sense of self, and to resolve dilemmas that occur when two basic values are in conflict (Kohn, 1997). By inviting students to be active partners in the development of a character education program, the opportunities will serve to shape compassionate, caring community members.

Context

The alternative high school serves about two hundred students who are in grades 9-12. In its fourth year of operation, the campus is set in a rapidly changing community that has transformed considerably in the last five years. Once a rural area interspersed with pockets of older adult communities, the region is now being incorporated into the larger metropolitan Phoenix area. Established trailer parks and retirement communities are located next to new residential neighborhoods where quarter of a million dollar homes are being built. The student population reflects the changing community with a vast array of students from various socio-economic backgrounds. The students who attend the school are referred by the larger comprehensive high schools, because they are behind in credit and at-risk of not graduating. This typically occurs as a result of participation in other high-risk behaviors like drug use, gang involvement, criminal activity, or sexual promiscuity. According to Vicki Phillips (1995), these students "tend to share a number of dysfunctional behaviors and attitudes which create adjustment difficulties" (p.13). Phillips (1995) lists several attitudes and behaviors that are antisocial in nature including a negative self-image and low self-esteem, passive or aggressive expression in emotional situations, refusal to accept responsibility, a reluctance to set goals, and a tendency to make decisions without considering consequences. All of these attitudes lead to behaviors that are counterproductive for the individual students in both the school and the community.

During the past school year, the alternative high school participated in the 2002 Arizona Youth Survey sponsored by the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission. The results of the survey reflect some truth to Phillips' comments regarding at-risk youth. Using risk factors established by Hawkins, Catalano, and Miller (1992), the survey asked questions related to students' interactions with the community, the family, the school, and the peer groups. The data revealed that 66.7% of the senior students admitted a family history of antisocial behavior, and 83% have attitudes favorable to anti-social behavior. Seventy-eight percent of the senior students have attitudes favorable to drug use (Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, 2002). With such a large percentage of students engaging in high-risk behavior, the school community believed that it was crucial to work to change this through a comprehensive character education program. Such a program fits nicely into the school's philosophy that promotes experiential learning. Students are given opportunities to explore academic concepts through engaged interaction, constructivist approaches, and hands-on activities. To ensure student understanding of these main concepts, integrated instruction occurs where math and sciences are combined and English and social studies are integrated. A low student to teacher ratio of 15:1 is also maintained so that students receive the personal attention they deserve in order to grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Although instruction is not individualized, teachers work together to make sure that the needs of every child are being met.

When the district's comprehensive schools refer students to the alternative school, the principal meets with the student and parents in order to help the student set personal goals and to establish mutual expectations. As students make progress, they are given the option of returning to the comprehensive school or continuing in the alternative setting until graduation. When given this option, 87% of the students decide to stay. Most credit their decision to the nurturing environment. They recognize that the alternative school has given them a chance to grow intellectually and personally through a learning process that integrates character education with core subject areas.

Comprehensive Character Education Program

In order to help students develop appropriate social and emotional skills to be successful in the community, the alternative high school initiated several different programs that, when combined, provide a comprehensive school approach to character education (DeRoche & Williams, 1998). The character education program includes thematic units based on character traits, an adventure education component, integrated community service projects, and personal portfolio development. Most of these activities are worked into the daily lessons of the core academic courses.

Thematic Units

Two years ago, the alternative high school restructured its schedule and implemented six week blocks rather than nine-week quarters. This allowed the school to focus on a character trait or "theme" every six weeks. The "theme" has become an integral part of classroom activities, community service projects, and school-wide programs. The school community chose the following six character traits: respect, responsibility, honesty, integrity, trust, and loyalty. These themes are the backbone of the comprehensive character education program. Once each block, students are given a prompt based upon the theme and are asked to write a one to two page response to the prompt. The writing activity allows the school to focus on writing improvement by scoring student responses with a standard six trait rubric that is used by the state of Arizona for testing purposes, and at the same time provides students an opportunity to reflect on decisions, values, ethics, and consequences. During the last school year, the teachers used the following writing prompt for the theme of responsibility:

We all have responsibilities that we are expected to meet on a routine basis to our families, our community, and ourselves. Occasionally, we fail to meet these responsibilities and experience the consequences. In a well-constructed, reflective paragraph, you may choose one of the following from which to write your response:
1. Describe a time when you were unable to meet your responsibility. How did this affect others around you? Why were they affected? What was the consequence?
2. Describe an experience that you wish you could rewrite. How did this experience happen? How would you have liked to have seen it happen differently? Why do you feel this way?

The prompts are designed to help students internalize the character traits by having them examine their relationships, values, and priorities. The student's responses are then placed in the student's portfolio where they can be used for further social and emotional growth by comparing the responses to other actions and decisions that they make. A "themes committee" that consists of four teachers who design activities that others on campus utilize to help students think about individual character develops the prompts.

Along with the writing prompts, teachers are encouraged to integrate classroom discussions, activities, and community service projects related to the themes. The themes committee provides assistance to the teachers in the form of lessons and ideas related to subject area content. These activities allow students to further reflect on their actions and decisions. Many times, teachers have guest speakers who come to lead the discussions in class. For example, during the 2001 school year, a group of Israeli students carried on a discussion with our students about lifestyles, allowing in-depth conversations related to respect, responsibility, integrity, and loyalty. As part of this dialogue, the Israeli students talked emphatically about their excitement to serve in their country's military. Such loyalty and responsibility shocked students at the alternative high school and forced them to reflect on their own sense of personal responsibility.

Adventure Program

The adventure program is a combination of counseling and education whereby trained facilitators lead students through a series of problem-solving activities that they complete together in order for everyone to be successful. A counselor, the principal, and two teachers at the school are trained facilitators. The activities typically focus on communication, cooperation, trust, and teamwork as concepts upon which individuals improve as they work their way through the series of initiatives. As a result of the processing that occurs, individual students show social and emotional growth. Through the reflections on the emotions encountered in the team-building obstacles, hikes, bicycle rides, rock-climbing, and caving trips, students have shown measurable growth in individual responsibility. This is evidenced by the attendance, dropout rate, grade point average, and disciplinary records of students who have participated. Students in the program maintained an average attendance rate of 90% compared to the school average of 86.5%. None of the students who completed the adventure program dropped out of the alternative high school. On average, 17% of the students who enroll in the school do not finish. Students' grade point averages increased from 2.5 before entering the adventure program to a 3.3 for classes taken after completion of the adventure program. Disciplinary referrals decreased by 50% following the adventure program for students who participated. The adventure program provides students with valuable social skills that help them make drastic improvements in all aspects of schooling.

More important than the statistics may be the student testimonials regarding the adventure program, as one student wrote,

"The adventure program is a magnificent opportunity in which every student should be required to participate. It would improve overall feeling at (the school). The course is a solution for improving attitudes. The main focus is teamwork and trust. Students must tackle immense obstacles that seem unrealistic. But when it is accomplished, it gives the students a feeling of self-worth and makes them realize that when you work together and put your mind to it you can accomplish anything. The students meet many friends and use the strategy and planning that are learned in the activities to realize that there is more than one way to reach a goal. The opportunities are endless; you just can not be afraid to fail, or at least do not let it hold you back."

The series of activities associated with the adventure program provide a unique opportunity for students to work together and to reflect upon the ways that they have improved their character as a result of their participation in the course.

Integrated Community Service Projects

Along with the writing prompts and other classroom activities, the themes committee plans and organizes school-wide community service projects related to the themes. "When teachers integrate service into the curriculum, students are deeply immersed in the learning, and therefore, gain an individualized understanding of the concepts contained in the curricular subject areas. Students learn and practice elements of character" (Brugh, 1997, p. 69). This allows every student on campus to participate in at least six different community activities throughout the school year. Examples of community service projects include participation in Habitat for Humanity, food drives for the United Food Bank, a stuffed animal drive for a local elementary school, and participation in the MS 150, a one hundred fifty mile bicycle ride for multiple sclerosis. The community service projects help the students develop personal responsibility, cooperation, communication, and self-confidence in an attempt to improve social and emotional skills.

As part of completing these activities, students are asked to reflect on their involvement, considering the social benefits of participation. Students have written about the positive effects of involvement in these activities. One student commented, "I have never had the opportunity to do something like this. I always feel good about what I have done after working with people who need assistance." For students who are at-risk, engagement in a positive community project is a way to shift their way of thinking. At-risk students often feel disenfranchised, and many times they have engaged in high risk behaviors that have been detrimental to the community. To give them a way to interact with the community in a positive manner allows them to realize that the community cares about their personal success. It also allows the students to realize that they have plenty of positive attributes to give back to the community despite previous conflicts. Everyone wins when working for a common cause with community service projects. These projects play a valuable role in promoting character education at the alternative high school.

Portfolio Development

All of the projects related to character education do little good if students do not have an opportunity to reflect on the impact these activities have had on their social and emotional growth. At the school, teachers provide these opportunities for reflection through class discussions and journal writing. Students maintain a compilation of these writings in a personal portfolio. They are asked to look at their entries on a semester basis in order to write a goal sheet that establishes new goals based upon continuous benchmarking and that describes their own social, emotional, and academic growth as a result of their participation in these character education activities. Prior to graduating from the high school or transitioning back into the comprehensive high schools, students are required to participate in an exit interview. These interviews are conducted by a panel of three community leaders who ask students a series of questions related to the portfolio. Many of the questions focus on character development and require students to reflect and to communicate ways that they have grown during their time at the school. Students do talk about academic achievement, but the most powerful part of the interview deals with the character development of the student. Many times students describe how they have become stronger emotionally or more resilient. They speak to improvement in confidence and self-esteem. Most importantly, they talk about wanting to continue to give back to their community. They see this as an important way to make up for past mistakes and high-risk behaviors.

Concluding Thoughts

The alternative high school has a long way to go before it can truly say that the comprehensive character education is effective with students who are at-risk. However, progress is being made. With the 2002 Arizona Youth Survey, protective factors were also considered (community, family, school, and peer/individual). The survey revealed an increase in students from the alternative school viewing the school setting as a positive protective factor from grade ten to grade twelve. By twelfth grade, students were more likely to view the school setting as an environment where they had opportunities for prosocial involvement and where they received rewards for this positive social involvement (Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, 2002). In an alternative school setting, it is imperative that students have opportunities for social and emotional growth, as well as academic improvement. By providing a comprehensive character education program that is integrated throughout all classes and programming, students are routinely exposed to activities that allow them to explore character traits and to make personal gains from such interaction.

Hopefully, other schools will be able to gain some insight about character education development as a result of the comprehensive program at this alternative high school. Too often, educational decision-making is guided by external mandates that do little to improve the quality of life for children. Although student improvements in math, reading, and writing are important in schools, this should not be the only pedagogical focus. With an increasing number of students feeling isolated, frustrated, and disenfranchised within the school setting, proactive steps need to be taken to encourage a caring, nurturing community. Focusing on "zero tolerance" policies is detrimental to this cause. Rather than taking this reactionary approach, schools and districts should look at preventative and proactive measures including the development of a comprehensive and integrated character education program that allows students to develop the mind, heart, and will.

Author

Gary Kiltz is the coordinator of the Learner Centered Leadership program, which is a professional development partnership between four urban school districts and Arizona State University for educational administrators. He is also a doctoral student in educational leadership and policy studies at Arizona State University. He has worked extensively in alternative education, first as a teacher and then as a school administrator. He has established several different alternative programs in the Midwest and Southwest, helping hundreds of at-risk students. Mr. Kiltz has written articles on the use of student portfolios to demonstrate academic achievement and overall school improvement. In addition, he has presented at conferences regarding curriculum integration and experiential education within alternative school settings. He can be reached at gary.kiltz@asu.edu by email; Phone(480) 965-1454; Fax (480) 965-1880.

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