Fethullah Gulen and the Gulen Movement

Results of Good Implementation of Character Education in the USA

According to reports released by the CEP, schools that integrated character education into the fabric of their curricula and cultures, for example, CEP’s National Schools of Character, experienced improvement in academic achievement, behavior, school culture, peer interaction, and parental involvement. The CEP reports show remarkable change among students exposed to character education including an increase in pro-social behaviors such as cooperation, respect, and compassion and a decrease in negative behaviors such as drug, violence, bullying and  disrespect to their teachers, and peers. When these positive behaviors are complimented with  both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, students will be better able to commit themselves to their class work, develop resilience towards various challenges, and renew their commitment for diligence, and ultimately achieve more academically. In schools, where effective character education programs are implemented, visitors readily notice an atmosphere of care and respect, where students value learning and treat their teachers, classmates, and communities with consideration. According to CEP, specific examples of research conducted on the effectiveness of character-based programs include (Character Education Partnership, n.d.):

• An evaluation of South Carolina’s character education program that found that 91 percent of school administrators reported improved student attitude following the implementation of the program., 89 percent reported improved behavior, 60 percent reported improved academic achievement, and 65 reported improved teacher and staff attitude.
• Three separate studies conducted over a 20 year period by the Oakland, California-based Developmental Studies Center reported many beneficial results at schools that had put in place its Child Development Project (CDP). Specifically, the studies show that students at schools with CDPs are more cooperative, better at resolving interpersonal disputes, more interested in others welfare, and are more dedicated to democratic ideals while, at the same time, are less likely to use drugs and alcohol or engage in delinquent behavior. A follow-up study of middle school students who had attended elementary schools with CDPs found that these students were more engaged in their classes, worked more diligently, and received better grades and scored higher on academic achievement tests than did students who had attended elementary schools without CDPs.
• An evaluation of students who had received Second Step violence prevention program (http://www.cfchildren.org/ssf/ssf/ssindex/) training found they were less likely to engage either hostile physical or verbal behavior and were more likely to take part in friendly social interactions with their peers than students who had not received the training.
• Two analyses of a survey of 8,400 participants in the Character Counts! program, found that  students in the program reported that they were getting more homework done (Journal of Research in Character Education Vol. 1, No. 1, 2003 agreeing in 1998) and were cheating less (South Dakota Survey Results, 2000).
• Blind observer reports have shown improved classroom behavior in schools implementing Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATH), a program designed to encourage emotional and social skills.
• An independent evaluation of teachers, students, and parents participating in the “Resolving Conflict Creatively Program” found that 64 percent of teachers reported a decrease in physical violence among their students and 75 percent reported improved student cooperation while 92 percent of students reported increased levels of self-esteem. Additionally, more than 90 percent of parents reported improved communications with their children as well as greater success in dealing with their problems.
• A study of four schools using Positive Action (http://www.positiveaction.net/), a character education program, reported that the number of behavioral incidents at the four schools resulting in the referral of students to higher authority for discipline declined by an average of 74 percent during the first year after program implementation. The average decline in the number of disciplinary referrals increased to an average of 80 percent during the subsequent six year period. The four schools saw improvement in a number of other areas as well. For example, absenteeism decreased by between 30 and 60 percent, and achievement scores improved from a 43rd percentile average to a 71st percentile average during the first year after program implementation and to an 88th percentile  average in years two through nine after implementation.
• Longitudinal studies from the Responsive Classroom program (http://responsiveclassroom.org), which emphasizes social skills and good character, have reported improved academic performance across several grade levels. For example, scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills rose by 22 percent for Responsive Classroom students but by only 3 percent for students in a control group. Furthermore, participation in the Responsive Classroom program has resulted in above average academic growth for students in grades four through eight as well as in a decrease in discipline referrals and an increase in pro-social behavior.
• An evaluation of the Teen Outreach Program (TOP), a program which seeks to prevent problem behavior in middle school by providing supports to adolescents, at a sample of 25 high schools from across the nation (Allen, Philber, Herring, & Kupermine, 1997) found a significant decrease in course failures among students randomly assigned to TOP when compared to control students who were not assigned to the program. Similarly, an unpublished study of the Community of Caring (COC) program, a nationally recognized character education program, at six high schools (Balicki, 1991) reported that 9th grade students in the COC program showed significantly greater improvement in their grades when compared to non-COC students. A second unpublished study on the COC showed similar results (Scriba Educational Services, 1998-1999).
  
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