Why Every Teen Needs an Inner Compass
By Dr. Arthur Schwartz Years ago, the field of character education mainly focused on developing strategies and curricula aligned with the belief that character is taught and caught. In short, as parents and educators we needed to be intentional about teaching our...
Igniting The Power Of Purpose
By Dr. Arthur Schwartz According to a recently released report by Gallup and The Walton Family Foundation, almost half of all Gen Zers assert that school lacks a ‘sense of purpose.’ This past week, scores of articles, especially those on education platforms, have...
Celebrating Character Lab
By Dr. Arthur Schwartz This past week Character Lab announced that they will be sunsetting their operations in June. I’m bummed. Over a decade ago, after Angela Duckworth’s research on grit became widely known, she co-founded the nonprofit Character Lab. The...
RETHINKING GUNS AND K-12 EDUCATION
By Dr. Arthur Schwartz When was the last time you stopped yourself and said, “Right at this moment, am I being open-minded?” For me, it was this past week. Several months ago, I was in Boston at a Kern Foundation convening. One of the organizers was Dr. Samantha...
The Anonymous Confession of a Compulsive Liar
By Dr. Arthur Schwartz For the past three years, with a grant from The School for Ethical Education, Character.org has invited students worldwide to write a “Law of Life” essay. Our writing prompt encourages middle school and high school students “to reflect and...
5 Wise Steps To Forming Our Character
By Dr. Arthur Schwartz When people ask me to define character, I often reply that character is “goodness in action.” But this definition doesn’t address how we come to know, care about, or practice goodness. That’s why I love sharing with students of all ages (PreK...
