Character education as a prevention strategy for school-related violence

Abstract

Character education has been a valued partner in prevention-based strategies. Prevention education is seen as a key component in addressing school violence. Three hundred and three fourth-grade students in 9 of the 11 elementary schools in a predominantly rural community were provided a specialized program of character education as a prevention tool to reduce the potential for deviant behavior. Students in three schools were in the no treatment control condition. Students in the remaining six schools received a school-based and curriculum-driven character education program. These six schools were divided into two conditions. Two of the schools were in the curriculum-only condition while in four of the schools students were randomly selected to receive a protocol-driven summer academic (6 weeks) and experiential education/program. Those not selected were an embedded control group. The remaining one-third of the fourth-grade class in these four schools constitutes a comparison group. Primary prevention involves the provision of education and training along with efforts to promote school bonding. There are several approaches to addressing school-related violence. © 2008 Springer New York.