The Center for Character and Citizenship engages in research, education and advocacy to foster the development of character, democratic citizenship and civil society.
While it is often argued that there is a growing need for character and citizenship education, based largely on widely shared concerns among both educators and the public that ethical behavior in society at large, and in our young people in particular, is insufficiently guided by sound principles exercised with integrity, in fact this lament is an eternal concern. In fact, the need to socialize each subsequent generation echoes through the ages. We argue that all youth need support in becoming ethical citizens in order to contribute to improving their inevitable imperfect societies. What is needed are deliberate, evidence-based approaches to nurturing the ethical democratic citizenship and moral character of youth.
Funded by the University of Missouri-St. Louis and grants, individual donations, and corporate and foundation support, the Center for Character and Citizenship (CCC) focuses on generating and disseminating both knowledge and research pertaining to how individuals develop moral and civic character. By providing scholars, educators and social organizations with the tools they need to contribute to this development, the CCC plays the role of a think tank, offering workshops, consulting, and professional development. The CCC also provides resources and tool kits to assist educators, parents and scholars in character and citizenship education. We especially focus on supporting the professional development of educational leaders to equip and motivate them to support the kind of schools most likely to nurture the development democratic citizens of character.
The Center’s core programs include:
CEEL, Character Education focused Emerging Leaders
The PRIMED InstituteSM
CViL, Cultivating Virtue in Leadership
The Sue Shear Leadership Academy
MyImpact Challenge - in partnership with the Bill of Rights Institute
Graduate degree programs, M.Ed., Ed.D., Ph.D.
Other available programs and contributions include:
The Journal of Character Education
Leadership Academy in Character Education®
YEA!, Youth Empowerment in Action
The Center serves hundreds of schools, educators, and students locally, nationally and internationally.
“A healthy, growing school culture needs the right climate and ingredients like a petri dish. Power has to be distributed evenly between teachers, parents and kids. There has to be good role modeling and healthy adult cultures. And there has to be private praise, whether it is in conversation, a note or a positive phone call to parents. Some parents are so used to negative calls about their kids that when they get that one positive phone call, they’re stunned. I’ve known parents to start sobbing when you tell them about how their kid told the truth, invited a stranger to lunch or stood up for what’s right.”
— Marvin Berkowitz, Ph.D.
Leadership Academy in Character Education® is a registered trademark of The Curators of the University of Missouri.
