Reflections on Robert McGrath's "What Is Character Education?"

Overview & Synopsis

Robert McGrath's article has the great virtue of asking an important question: "What is character education?" He argues that currently "what it means to call something a character education program remains unclear." Without a clear definition, McGrath says, one cannot differentiate character education from other programs designed to increase prosocial behavior or promote psychological growth. As a solution to this problem he proposes a "character education prototype" that would enable researchers and practitioners to evaluate a character education program by the extent to which it possesses seven "central features" (it is school-based, structured, and aimed at fostering development in five areas--positive psychological characteristics, identity, moral growth, holistic growth, and the development of practical wisdom). This commentary considers the following in relation to McGrath's article: (1) Fostering good character; (2) Practices central to effective character education; (3) Is a formal curriculum necessary?; (4) The emergence of character education frameworks; (5) The essential goals of character development; (6) The case for identity as the core of character; (7) Wisdom: The missing virtue in character education; and (8) Why self-control should be an essential outcome. [For McGrath's "What Is Character Education? Development of a Prototype," see EJ1199511.]