Using research to set priorities for character education in schools: A global perspective

A priority, perhaps the priority, for all schools should be the intentional and effective promotion of student flourishing, or as noted author and educator Hal Urban (2008) calls it, "bringing out the best in students." For this priority to be authentic, ideally it should be supported and promoted by conceptually and empirically justifiable educational policy. For that to happen, educators and policy-makers need to access and understand theory and research about student development and learning. This paper will summarize that argument and summarize the relevant theory and research that should undergird educational policy, relying upon and presenting a five-element model of effective character education. It will then provide an example of how research has been used to guide policy in Colombia and demonstrate the ways this national educational policy initiative incorporates some of the key elements of research-based practice. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]