Helping Our Students

Become Smart
and Good
Tom Lickona
Center for the 4th & 5th Rs

State University of New York at Cortland

WORLD CONGRESS IN EDUCATION
Valencia, Spain
April 17-19, 2008

Smart & Good Schools Initiative

Integrating Excellence & Ethics for Success in

School, Work, and Beyond
www.cortland.edu/character

The Smart & Good Schools Initiative is co-directed by

Drs. Thomas Lickona, Center for the 4th and 5th Rs, and
Matthew Davidson, Institute for Excellence and Ethics.
To inquire about participating in the Smart & Good
Schools Initiative, email character@cortland.edu.

Through history, and across

cultures, education has had two
great goals:

THE MEASURED EFFECTIVENESS OF

CHARACTER EDUCATION

At all grade levels, students who have

experienced quality character education
outperform comparison groups not only on
measures of social behavior
but also on measures of
academic performance.
Journal of Research in Character
Education (2003)

The vision of a Smart & Good

School is based on the 2005
study

Smart & Good High

Schools
Tom Lickona & Matt Davidson
100 Promising Practices for
Integrating Excellence & Ethics
www.cortland.edu/character

Smart & Good

Research Methodologies
1. A comprehensive literature review
2. Site visits (focus groups &

observations) at 24 award-winning high

schools

3. Guidance from:
Experts Panel
Student Leaders Panel

The concepts and findings

that emerged from the

Smart & Good study are

now being used by schools
K-12.

2 Foundational
Questions
1. What is character?
2. What is character
education?
8

Character has two major parts:

performance character and moral character.

Performance
Character

Commitment to
continuous
improvement

Goal setting

Work ethic

Determination

Self-confidence

Initiative

Moral/Ethical Character

Respect

Responsibility to others

Love (Compassion)

Humility

Integrity

Justice

Moral courage

Performance Character:

Doing Our Best Work

You must discover what you

are made for, and you must
work indefatigably to achieve
excellence in your field of
endeavor.
If you are called to be a
street-sweeper, you should
sweep streets even as
Michelangelo painted or
Beethoven composed music.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

The goal in life is to make the effort to do

the best you are capable of doingin
marriage, at your job, in your community,
for your country.
Dont measure yourself by what you have
accomplished, but by what you should have
accomplished with your abilities. The
effort is what counts in everything.
John Wooden, UCLA Basketball Coach

WHATS THE DIFFERENCE?

Performance is the outcome (the

grade, the honor or award, the
achievement).
Performance character consists of
those qualities needed to pursue our
personal bestwhether the outcome
is realized or not.

We asked high school students:

What persons or experiences in
high school have most influenced
the development of your
performance character?

The importance of being challenged:

The person who has most profoundly
affected my performance character is my
basketball coach. He had me play power
forward, even though I am only 54.
When I became frustrated, he never let
me give up. I never before had to do
anything so far out of my comfort zone.
A High School Girl

Moral Character:
Doing the Right Thing
Moral character consists of the
virtues needed for ethical
behavior, positive relationships,
and responsible citizenship.
Moral character honors the
interests of others, so that we do
not violate moral values as we
pursue our performance goals.

We asked high school students:

What persons or experiences in

high school have most influenced
the development of your
moral character?

We are taught from the start that

plagiarism and all forms of cheating are
wrong, and that any kind of cruelty toward
other students is not to be tolerated.
We often have assemblies that discuss how
to promote peace and justice in society.
Graduation requirements include 100 hours
of community service, but our school
encourages us to do more.
A High School Girl

There are two roads in life: a high road

and a low road. The high road is harder,
but it takes you somewhere worth going.
The low road is easy, but its circularyou
eventually find yourself back where you
started.

A person of character
embodies both
performance character and
moral character.

Without moral character,

performance character easily
runs amuck.
You could become a courageous
terrorist who blows up innocent
people, an ingenious CEO who
cooks the books, or a
brilliant valedictorian who is only
out for herself.

Without performance character,

moral character is ineffective.
You could be a person who has
good intentions but cant carry
them out effectively.
Performance character enables
us to act on our moral values.

Only by developing performance

character will schools:
Promote academic achievement for
all students
foster an ethic of excellence, not
just higher test scores
develop scientific and
entrepreneurial talent
produce a competitive, creative
workforce.

Only by developing moral

character will schools:
create safe learning environments
prevent peer cruelty
decrease discipline problems
reduce cheating
foster social & emotional skills
develop ethical thinkers
produce public-spirited citizens.

Performance
character and
moral character
are defined in terms
of 8 Strengths of
Character, assets
needed for a
flourishing life.

THE WHOLE PERSON

What are the
Strengths of Character
that make up the
whole person?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

7.

8.

Lifelong learner and critical thinker

Diligent and capable performer
Socially and emotionally skilled person
Ethical thinker
Respectful and responsible moral agent
Self-disciplined person who pursues a
healthy lifestyle
Contributing community member and
democratic citizen
Spiritual person engaged in crafting a life
of noble purpose.

Where do the 8 Strengths of

Character come from?
Classical philosophy about living a
meaningful and fulfilling life
Cross-cultural wisdom
Positive psychologys focus on the
assets needed for a flourishing life
Our own grounded theory research.

1. Lifelong learner and critical thinker

Approaches learning as a lifelong process
Shows skills of critical analysis
Takes seriously the perspectives of
others
Seeks credible evidence
Integrates knowledge
Generates alternative solutions
Demonstrates intellectual humility (e.g.,
willingness to admit error).

A Core Works Curriculum

Core Works in literature, history, and
the arts are selected by one
independent schools faculty using four
criteria:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Timelessness
Centrality (involves important themes)
Influence
Originality (offers new vision)

Our purpose is to
teach the best that
has been thought and
said in the world.

Intellectual Character:

What It Is, Why It Matters, and

How to Get It
(2002)
Ron Ritchhart

Media Literacy:
Deconstructing Pornography
1.

2.
3.
4.

5.

How does pornography affect our

respect for the dignity of other people?
Who are pornographys victims?
How does it affect our self-respect?
What are some of the possible long-term
consequences of viewing pornography on
our sexual attitudes and behavior?
How might pornography affect a
marriage?

2. Diligent and capable performer

Strives for excellence; gives
best effort
Demonstrates initiative
Knows standards of quality and
creates high-quality products;
takes pride in work
Sets personal goals and
assesses progress
Perseveres despite difficulty.

4 KEYS
1.

A community that supports and

challenges

2.

Self-study (self-assessment and

goal-setting)

3.

Other-study (learning from positive

and negative examples)

4.

Public performance/presentation

An Ethic of
Excellence:
Building a Culture
of Craftsmanship
with Students
Ron Berger
Bergers work
illustrates the use
of the 4 KEYS.

Practices That Use

the 4 KEYS
1.

2.
3.

4.
5.

Work that inspires. (Community That

Supports & Challenges)
Models of excellence. (Other-Study)
A culture of critique. (Community
That Supports & Challenges)
Multiple revisions. (Self-Study)
Opportunities to present/display
ones work. (Public Performance)

The Culture of Critique

Students regularly present their
work to peers and the teacher for
feedback, in order to heighten their
responsibility for:
doing their best work
bringing out the best in each other.

Rules for the

CULTURE OF CRITIQUE

Be kind.
Be specific.
Be helpful.

Steps in the Culture of Critique

1.

2.

3.

Presenter: I would especially

like suggestions on . . .
Positive feedback from the
group and teacher.
Constructive critique, often put
as questions:
Would you consider . . . ?
Have you thought of . . . ?

Diligent and Capable Performer

Involve students in meaningful
learning experiences that
challenge them to meet realworld standards.

A HIGH SCHOOL
SCIENCE RESEARCH CLASS

These kids are doing original

research, not cookbook science.
Were teaching problem-posing,
problem-solving, cause-and-effect
thinking, and teamwork.

Science Teacher

3. Socially and emotionally

skilled person
Possesses a healthy self-confidence
and positive attitude
Demonstrates basic courtesy
Develops positive relationships
Communicates effectively
Works well with others
Resolves conflicts fairly
Has emotional intelligence, including
the ability to understand and manage
ones feelings.

Promising Practice:
Develop and
regularly renew a
positive
relationship with
every student.

Promising
Practice:
Foster Positive
Peer Relations.

THE DAILY FIVE

1.Who has good news?
2.Who would like to affirm/compliment
someone else?
3.What is something in the past 24
hours that you are thankful for?
4.Laughter (rotate bringing in a joke)
5.Change seats; get to know your new
neighbor (2-minute interview).

Hal Urban

RESPECT SCALE
1.

2.

3.

At the end of the day, each student

gives himself a rating of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5
(high) on the Respect Scale.
We have a class conversation: Why did
you give yourself that rating? We do not
pass judgment.
I ask, How are you going to try to get
better tomorrow? What strategies will
you use? Other students may suggest
strategies.

Usha Balamore

4. Ethical thinker

Possesses moral discernment

Has a well-formed
conscienceincluding a
feeling of obligation to do
the right thing.
Has a strong moral identity;
moral character is central
to who I am.
Has the moral skills to
translate moral discernment,
conscience, and identity into
effective moral behavior.

Moral Discernment:
How can we tell right from wrong?
1. Right actions affirm human dignity.
2. They promote the happiness and well-being
of the individual.
3. They serve the common good.
4. They meet the test of reversibility. ( Would
I want this done to me?)
5. They can be universalized. (Would I want all
people to act in this way?)

ETHICAL DISCUSSIONS OF
LITERATURE
Who was the most respectful
character in the book?
Would the story have turned out
differently if any character had
shown more respect?

ETHICAL MINI-ESSAYS
VIRTUE:WISDOM
1. Define wisdom in your own words.
2. Who is someone you know who
possesses this virtue? Give an example of
how that person shows wisdom.
3. What are the advantages of possessing
this virtue?
4. How does this virtue affect others?

REFLECTING ON CHARACTER
1. What would you want a teacher to say
about your character in a letter of
reference?
2. How do you gain the trust of another
person? How do you destroy it?
3. What are some of the consequences of
being dishonest?
4. What are some of the rewards of being
honest?
Hal Urban

Study LIVES OF CHARACTER.

Challenge students to pursue their
own character
development.
Draw lives of character from:
Your academic discipline
Psychological research (e.g., Some Do
Care)
Current events (virtueinaction.org)
Great films (TeachWithMovies.com)

After presenting a man or woman of

exemplary performance character and
moral character, ask students:

What can you observe or infer about

this person as an ethical thinker?
What evidence do you see of moral
discernment, conscience, moral
identity, and moral competence?
What character strengths does this
person possess that you would like to
develop to a higher degree?

Great resource for discussing

current events:
Virtue in Action
www.virtueinaction.org
Bi-monthly on-line lessons
Latest issue: Cyber-bullying

5. Respectful & Responsible

Moral Agent, Committed to
Consistent Moral Action
Respects the rights and dignity
of all persons
Understands that respect
includes the right of conscience
to disagree respectfully
Possesses a strong sense of
responsibility to do whats right
Takes responsibility for
mistakes
Shows moral leadership.

Classroom Compact for Excellence

Rules for Doing Our Best Work
(PERFORMANCE CHARACTER)
1. BE PREPARED.
2. WORK HARD.
3. HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE.

Rules for Treating Others with Respect & Care

(MORAL CHARACTER)

1. TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WISH TO BE TREATED.

2. USE GOOD MANNERS.
3. HELP EACH OTHER.

ONE SCHOOLS DISCIPLINE PROCESS

1. The referred student completes a form

describing the incident from his/her point

of view and the teachers.
2. The student relates his/her behavior to
one the schools 8 Essential Learner
Behaviors (critical thinking, citizenship,
problem-solving, etc.).
3. The student discusses the completed
form with the principal or asst. principal.
4. The student decides on a restitution.
5. The parent/guardian is notified.

6. Self-Disciplined Person Who

Pursues a Healthy Lifestyle
Demonstrates self-control
Pursues physical, emotional,
and mental health
Makes responsible personal
choices that contribute to
ongoing self-development, a
healthy lifestyle, and a
positive future.

ON THE LINE
1. Mark a line across the classroom with 7 points.
1=Not True of Me; 7=Very true of me
2. Go and stand at the point on the line that
best describes you in terms of the following
statement (5-6 students at a time):
I take care of my health. I get enough
sleep, eat right, and exercise.

Follow up Qs:

Why did you put yourself there?

How does this compare to last year?
Where do you want to be in the future?

Sexual Decision-Making
We need to give young people a
rational way of thinking about
sexone that appeals to their
intelligence and that will ground
them and make their
decisions solid.

10 Emotional Dangers of Premature Sex

Worry about pregnancy and STDs.
Regret.
Guilt.
Loss of self-respect.
Corruption of character.
Difficulty trusting.
Depression and suicide.
Damaged or ruined relationships.
Stunted personal development.
Negative effects on marriage.

I lost my virginity when I was 15. My

boyfriend and I thought we loved each
other. But once we began having sex, it
completely destroyed any love we had. I
felt he was no longer interested in
spending time with mehe was
interested in spending time with my
body.
Amanda, a college student

Article with stories from the lives

of teens:
10 Emotional Dangers of
Premature Sexual Involvement
Fourth & Fifth Rs Newsletter, fall, 2007
(www.cortland.edu/character)

The Neglected Heart

1. What can we learn from these stories?

2. Why does sexual intimacy have
emotional consequences?
3. Are these consequences often
different for males and females? If
so, why?
4. What is required in a relationship to
maximize the likelihood that sexual
intimacy will be emotionally safe and
fulfilling?

7. Contributing Community Member

and Democratic Citizen
Contributes to family,
classroom, school, and
community
Demonstrates civic virtues
needed for participation in
democratic processes
Demonstrates awareness
of interdependence and a
sense of responsibility to
all humanity.

A HURTING WORLD

Nearly half the worlds population are

poor.
One in 6 lives in extreme poverty
the poverty that kills. They are
chronically hungry, lack safe drinking
water, cannot get health care or
afford education.
Jeffrey Sachs, The End of Poverty

Contributing Community Member

and Democratic Citizen

Promising Practices
Engage students in service learning.

Involve students in first-hand

experiences of democracy.

Resolve school conflicts

democratically, with respect for
differences of conscience.

Research Finding:
Teens who are involved in
service learning:
Do better in school
Are more likely to treat each
other kindly and respond
positively to cultural diversity.

An Award-Winning
Service Learning Program:

Service learning every

Wednesday morning
Quality control (supervision of
field sites)
Senior year global issues
course
Senior Project.

8. Spiritual Engaged in
Crafting a Life of Noble Purpose
Considers existential
questions (e.g., What is
happiness?, What is the
meaning of life?)
Appreciates transcendent
values (truth, beauty,
goodness)
Seeks a life of noble
purpose
Formulates life goals and
ways to pursue them

I see so many people just going

through the motions: get into a
good school, so you can get into a
good college, so you can get a good
job, so you can get a better job, so
you can get rich and die.
Recent High School Graduate

1.

An Analysis of My Life

Are you generally satisfied with what you have

done so far in your life? Explain.
2. What obstacles, if any, have interfered with
your personal growth? What can you do to
overcome them?
3. What is the most valuable lesson you have
learned in your life thus far?
4. What goals have you planned for your future?
What are you presently doing to pursue them?
John Perricone, Zen and the Art of Public
School Teaching

100 GOALS
1. Write 100 goals youd like to achieve
in your life.
2. Divide them into categories (career,
family, adventure, service, major
accomplishments, etc.)
3. Select your top 10 goals.
4. Write a paragraph on your #1 goal.

Hal Urban

2nd Foundational Question:

What is character education?

In a Smart & Good School,

character education
is the process of
maximizing the development
of performance character,
moral character, and the 8
Strengths of Character
within an
Ethical Learning Community.

4 Groups Comprise the Ethical

Learning Community (ELC):
1. Faculty and staff
2. Students
3. Parents
4. The wider community

All members of the ELC

support and challenge each other
to do their best work
(performance character)
and
treat each other with
respect and care
(moral character).

The 6 Principles of the ELC:

1. Develop shared purpose and identity.
2. Align practices with desired outcomes
3.
4.
5.
6.

and relevant research.

Have a voice; take a stand.
Take personal responsibility for
continuous self-development.
Practice collective responsibility.
Grapple with the tough issues.

ELC PRINCIPLE 1:

Develop shared purpose

and identity.

Promising Practice 1:
Build a unified school culture
around excellence and ethics
through consistent high
expectations for learning and
behavior.

Most schools suffer from

loose couplinghigh levels
of inconsistency in
expectations and values.
A Smart & Good School is
characterized by tight
coupling.

One way to achieve

tight coupling:
A School Touchstone
a way of doing our work
and treating others.

THE PLACE WAY

At Place School, we pursue
excellence in scholarship
and character.
We celebrate and honor each other
by being respectful, honest,
kind, and fair.
We give our best inside and
outside the classroom.
This is who we are, even when
no one is watching.

THE ROOSEVELT WAY

Theres a way that students

here are expected to act, and
a way that they expected
not to act.
High School Counselor

Constructing a School Touchstone:

THE _______ WAY
We show ________ by __________.
We show ________ by __________.
We show ________ by __________.
We show ________ by __________.
[Last line: Motto statement]

ELC AUDIT
To what extent does your school have a
waya touchstone or motto that serves
as a standard of behavior and a common
reference point?
What is one step you could take toward
developing or strengthening a school
touchstone?

ELC PRINCIPLE 1:
Develop shared purpose (cont.)

Develop an honor code.

(see Smart & Good report, The Ethical
Learning Community, p.46)

1.
2.

3.

4.

5.
6.

7.

I will be honest in all my actions.

I will treat others the way I want to be
treated.
I will extend courtesy and kindness to all
people.
I will respect our school building and every
individuals personal property.
I will take pride in our school programs.
I will have the courage to report bullying,
drugs, and weapons in our school.
I will uphold this Honor Code and exhibit
these behaviors when I represent our
school off campus.

Develop shared purpose

and identity (cont.):

Promising Practice:
Create defining school
traditions that express and
strengthen the schools
commitment to excellence and
ethics.

WELCOMING FRESHMEN:
ONE SCHOOLS TRADITION
(The Ethical Learning Community,
p. 38)

ELC AUDIT
To what extent does your school use

ELC PRINCIPLE 1 (cont.):

Develop shared purpose
and identity.

Promising Practice:
Make a character compact with
parents.

A schools sense of purpose must be

shared by families.
If it is not, its impact on students
is significantly weakened.
What is missing in many schools is
an explicit compactan agreement
between the school and parents to
support each other in upholding
shared character expectations.

A CHARACTER COMPACT WITH PARENTS

AROUND THE HONOR CODE (p. 39)
Dear Parents,
Lincoln High School, as you know, takes pride
in its commitment to fostering both
intellectual and moral excellence . . .
_________________________
I have read the Honor Code and discussed it
with my child. I support the schools effort to
promote academic integrity and to hold
students accountable to that standard.
Signed: _______________________

ELC PRINCIPLE 2:

Align practices with desired outcomes

and relevant research.

Promising Practice:
Challenge parents
to align parenting
practices with
relevant research.

When teens are allowed to drink at

home, they are more likely to use
alcohol and other drugs outside the
home AND are at risk to develop serious
behavioral and health problems related
to substance abuse.
A Parents Guide for the Prevention of
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use
www.thecommunityofconcern.org/book

ELC PRINCIPLE 3:
Have a voice; take a stand.

Next to prisons, high schools are the least

democratic institutions in our society. They are
cursed by a tradition of hypocrisyteaching
and espousing democratic doctrine within the
classroom, while the actual practice of
democratic principles is largely nonexistent
anywhere in the school.
Peggy Silva & Robert A. Mackin,

Standards of Mind and Heart

On the importance of students

having a voice:
For students, it is very important that
their voice be heard. This would show
students that administrators and
teachers respect them, and then
students would be more likely to show
respect in return.
High School Girl

On the importance of students

exercising their voice
Teens have to realize that they must
stand up for what they believe in.
Developing character means being an
individual and upholding your
convictions with honesty, confidence,
and courage. Apathy is perhaps the
greatest problem facing teens.
High School Boy

ELC Principle 3:
Have a voice; take a stand.
Promising practices:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Develop
Develop
voice.
Develop
Develop

student voice.
faculty and staff
parent voice.
community voice.

Increasing Student Voice

1.

2.
3.

4.

Develop student voice in the classroom

(e.g., call on students randomly; conduct
class meetings).
Annual Student Engagement Survey
Schoolwide small-group discussions
(What can we do to improve our
school?)
Democratic schoolwide governance
(representative or direct).

ELC PRINCIPLE 4

Take personal responsibility for

continuous self-development.

Promising practice:
Promote ongoing self-reflection on
the quest for excellence and ethics.
Example: Journal:
What can you do to improve in each of
your academic subjects?
What keeps you from doing better?

One school, at the end of each day,

asks all students to reflect:
What did you do well today?
What would you like to do
better tomorrow?

Children develop character by

what they see, what they
hear, and what they are
repeatedly led to do.
James Stenson

ELC PRINCIPLE 5
Practice collective responsibility for
excellence and ethics.

ELC Principle 5:
Practice collective responsibility
for excellence and ethics.

Promising practice:

Create a school norm of

collective responsibility
and structures that
institutionalize it.

School structures that foster

collective responsibility:
Brothers Keeper
Culture of critique
Advisory groups
Concern meetings

Care-frontation

ADVISORY GROUPS
Advisory has allowed my peers to

When they called the concern meeting, I was mad

they were confronting me. One of them said,
You do have an attitude. You give teachers lip.
Theyre just trying to teach you. Afterwards I
had time to think: If all these people are saying
this about me, maybe its true.
I had to write a letter to my concern group about
what I learned from the whole situation. In this
school, if you dont change, youre going to get
constantly confronted. This school is concerned.

High School Girl

ELC PRINCIPLE 6
Grapple with the tough issuesthe
elephants in your living room.

If I were head of my school, I would do

more to try to eliminate cliques.
Although our school was named a
National School of Character, we suffer
from this problem. Cliques segregate
students and promote elitism.
I would increase group projects that
expose students to people outside their
own circle of friends.
A High School Boy

The
Professional Ethical Learning
Community (PELC)
is part of the ELC and is made
up of all school staff.
It leads the development of the
ELC.
(Ch. 4, Smart & Good)

Effective PELCs
demonstrate a high level of
collegiality.

People here really care about and

support each other. An experienced

teacher will coach a new teacher,
but it goes the other way as well.
As a new teacher, you feel
immediately appreciated because
people find out what youre good at
and want to learn from you.
High School Math Teacher

Research shows that as

faculty collegiality
increases,
student achievement
increases.

Creating a Professional
Compact for Excellence
1.

2.

At your table, choose a

facilitator and a recorder.
Develop a Professional Compact
for Excellencebehavioral and
participation guidelines for our
adult Ethical Learning Community
here today.

3. Each team member make a copy.

Professional Compact for Excellence

Rules for Doing Our Best Work
1. (e.g.) EVERYONE CONTRIBUTE.
2.
3.

Rules for Treating Others with Respect & Care

1. (e.g.) BUILD ON OTHERS IDEAS.
2.
3.

Increasing Faculty Voice

1.
2.

3.

Give faculty a voice in setting the

agenda for faculty meetings.
Maximize participation in meetings
(conduct meeting in a circle; do smallgroup sharing of a successful practice
or current problem).
Give faculty a voice in program and
policy decisions, including character
education.

Important Character Education

Staff Decisions
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.

What classroom strategies will we use to

develop our target virtues?
What schoolwide strategies will we use?
What structures (e.g., multiple committees)
will we use to share leadership of the
practices we decide to implement?
How will we measure our success and use data
to guide program improvements?
How will we seek the involvement of other
ELC stakeholders (students and parents)?

Integrating
Excellence
&
Ethics
For success in
school work
and beyond

Character is
destiny.
Heraclitus

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