Six Pillars of Character

Academic Domain - This domain is concerned with instilling educational and academic knowledge and values and developing in each student the cognitive abilities, learning skills, and personal traits that will help them: 1) succeed in school, (including college or other post-secondary school education); 2) succeed in the workplace and their careers; 3) Live happy, worthy and fulfilling personal lives; and 4) become engaged, responsible and productive citizens.

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL DOMAIN - This domain is concerned with non-cognitive skills and traits including self-awareness and self-management skills interpersonal social skills, and positive life skills and traits

CHARACTER DOMAIN - This domain is concerned with educational outcomes that help students develop the constellation of knowledge, values, skills, traits and conduct patterns that define a universal concept of good moral character. Successful efforts to build good character will result in a safe, caring and respectful school climate that provides students with standards of right and wrong and instills in them ethical consciousness, commitment and competencies that will help them achieve personal, school, and career goals; live happy, worthy and fulfilling lives; and become engaged, responsible and productive citizens.

SCHOOL CLIMATE DOMAIN - This domain is concerned with the quality and character of a learning environment reflecting the norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, engagement, leadership practices, and organizational structures that encompass school life

MOTIVATED AND COMMITTED LEARNERS - Students value education and are eager, committed learners who: 1) love learning as a source of personal enjoyment and growth; 2) believe that learning and education will enrich and improve their personal lives; and 3) are motivated to do well in school, graduate, and seek higher educational opportunities

CONFIDENT AND DILIGENT LEARNERS - Students are confident that with diligent effort they can learn what they need to know and develop the personal attributes they need to succeed in school and the workplace. (Instead of thinking, “I can’t”, they think, “I can’t . . . yet.”).

RESPONSIBLE, ENGAGED, AUTONOMOUS, AND CONNECTED LEARNERS - Students accept and demonstrate personal responsibility for their education by becoming autonomous (self-directed) learners fully engaged in all aspects of the educational process and firmly connected to the school community.

KNOWLEDGEABLE, LOGICAL, CRITICAL, AND CREATIVE THINKERS - Students demonstrate progressively complex intellectual abilities to acquire, remember, understand and apply knowledge as well as higher order thinking skills (e.g., ability to analyze, evaluate, and create) especially in the areas of reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

EFFECTIVE PROBLEM SOLVERS AND DECISION-MAKERS - Students understand that their competence and character will be judged in terms of the choices they make and they demonstrate the ability to employ critical and creative thinking skills to solve problems and make rational, ethical and effective decisions that produce the best possible result. 

SELF-AWARENESS - Students demonstrate self-awareness and the skills of introspection and reflection by identifying and understanding their emotions, values, attitudes, motivations, mindsets and personal attributes.  

SELF-MANAGEMENT - Students understand that they have the power and responsibility to regulate their emotions, attitudes and actions and they strive to strengthen the traits of self-discipline and self-control so they can take full advantage of their strengths and virtues and effectively resist negative emotions and impulses.

SOCIAL AWARENESS AND RELATIONSHIP SKILLS AND TRAITS - Students employ interpersonal and social skills and traits (e.g., empathy, sensitivity to the feelings and needs of others, the ability to communicate, etc.) to guide appropriate behavior and create positive relationships and meaningful connections to family members, classmates, peers, teachers, and others. 

SUCCESS SKILLS AND ATTITUDES Students demonstrate and continuously seek to enhance the values, skills, and traits that increase personal happiness and the successful achievement of their academic, personal and career goals.

COMMITMENT TO CHARACTER AND ETHICS - Students understand the personal and social importance and the basic terminology and concepts of character and ethics. 

TRUSTWORTHINESS (Pillar 1) - Students develop and demonstrate the character trait trustworthiness. They understand that trust is an essential ingredient in meaningful and lasting relationships as well as school and career success and they strive to earn the trust of others by demonstrating the ethical virtues of integrity, honesty, promise-keeping and loyalty.

RESPECTFULNESS (Pillar 2) - Students believe that the well-being and dignity of all people is important simply because they are fellow human beings and they treat every individual with respect, judging them on their character and ability without regard to race, religion, sexual orientation, political ideology, gender, age, or other physical or personal characteristics. 

RESPONSIBILITY (Pillar 3) - Students demonstrate the trait of responsibility by taking ownership of their lives and acknowledging their power to choose what they think (including their attitudes and mindsets), say and do and their accountability for the consequences of their choices. 

FAIRNESS (Pillar 4) - Students strive to be fair and just in all their actions. 

CARING (Pillar 5) - Students understand that caring -- including the virtues of compassion, kindness, benevolence, altruism, charity, generosity and sharing — is the heart of ethics and they strive to demonstrate a concern for the well-being of others by displaying compassion for those in pain or need by providing support in the form of donations and/or personal service.

GOOD CITIZENSHIP (Pillar 6) Students demonstrate good citizenship by fulfilling their civic and social responsibilities and contribute to the well-being of the communities in which they are a member (including their home, school, neighborhood, country and greater world). 

POSITIVE CULTURE - School leaders work to shape and influence every aspect of how a school functions, promoting comprehensive and evidence-based instructional and school-wide improvement efforts, designed to support students, staff and community members feeling welcomed, supported and safe in school.

ENGAGEMENT -  All stakeholders, including administrators, staff, students, families and community members, play a role in the learning process to ensure mastery of academic content and the desired skills that encourage students to make effective and ethical decisions.

QUALITY INSTRUCTION - A variety of student-centered learning activities exist where students can think critically, solve problems, work in cooperative groups, and become actively involved in the learning process. The school leader realizes that the greatest positive impact on student outcomes is quality instruction delivered by highly effective teachers leveraging technologies, communication skills, collaboration, and research to positively impact student outcomes. 

INSPIRATIONAL LEADERSHIP -  The school has administrative leaders who are responsible for the development, operation and sustainability of high-quality practices that (a) enhance engagement in teaching, learning and schoolwide activities; (b) address barriers to learning and teaching and reengage those who have become disengaged; and (c) develop and sustain an appropriate systemic infrastructure that inspires all staff to do their best work and be their best self.

SAFETY AND POSITIVE BEHAVIORS - There are clear behavioral expectations for all areas of the school, which are taught, enforced, advocated and modeled by all staff members. Policies and procedures emphasize proactive, instructive, and restorative approaches to student behavior to ensure a safe place to learn.

POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT The school works to create an attractive and stimulating physical environment that supports and encourages learning. The school campus is welcoming, well-maintained, and representative of the diversity of the student population. 

Curiosity - Students demonstrate the trait curiosity and an enthusiastic desire to understand more about themselves, others and the world around them and acquire new knowledge and skills by:

Personal Growth and Lifelong Learning - Students believe in the importance and value of continuous self-improvement, personal growth and life-long learning and are committed to: 1. Increasing their knowledge, understanding and skills through reading and advanced education; and 2. Broadening their horizons through travel and other personal experiences.

Growth Mindset - Students approach their learning and other aspects of their lives with a growth mindset believing that with focused effort and diligent practice (i.e., repetition or exercise of an activity to acquire or polish a skill) they can: 

Learning From Mistakes - Students demonstrate a positive perspective about mistakes and unsuccessful efforts, believing that they are not failures, but a necessary and unavoidable part of learning. 

Dedication to Education - Students demonstrate personal responsibility for seizing educational opportunities. They show dedication and creativity in overcoming obstacles to learning and graduating. 

Full Engagement in the Learning Process - Students demonstrate full engagement in their learning by: 1. Being organized; 2. Coming to class prepared; 3. Attending all classes; 4. Being punctual; 5. Being attentive; 6. Participating in class; 7. Taking good notes; 8. Asking for help; 9. Completing all assignments; 10. Establishing a study routine; 11. Using a planner or calendar; and 12. Taking care of themselves (e.g., good diet, adequate sleep, exercise, and a healthy life style). 

Self-Directed Learners - Students demonstrate responsibility for their learning by becoming autonomous and resourceful learners who start and complete their school work without the need for direct supervision or external pressure.

Resourceful and Discerning Researchers - Students demonstrate the ability to conduct broad-based, independent and discerning research (including persistent inquiry of teachers and the use of libraries and the internet) to answer questions that interest them (e.g., How tall was Abraham Lincoln) and provide the source material for major papers and projects.

Versatile Learners - Students understand that individuals can learn in a variety of ways (i.e., the three modalities of listening, seeing and doing) and through diverse teaching strategies including lectures, experiential, problem or inquiry-based, Socratic dialogue. While they understand their personal preferences, they are able to learn by all methods.

Connected to School Community - Students strive to form positive relationships with teachers, counselors, support staff, and to classmates in their school community. They understand that this substantially improves their chances of doing well in school and avoiding dangerous and unhealthy behavior. 1. Believe they belong and their teachers, counselors and others in the school community care about them; 2. School staff demonstrates an understanding of the importance of positive and caring relationships to successful learning, and works to build mutually respectful relationships across the school community; and 3. Participate in school activities or clubs

Ability to Acquire and Remember Knowledge - Students demonstrate the ability to acquire, recall, and retain basic and complex forms of information enabling them to:

Ability to Understand Knowledge - Students demonstrate the ability to understand (i.e., comprehend) the meaning and significance of facts, assertions, ideas, concepts and theories conveyed orally, experientially or in the form of expository (e.g., essays, editorials, biology textbook) or literary (novels, plays poems) writings by: 

Ability to Apply Knowledge (Working Memory) - Students demonstrate the ability to apply their knowledge in new situations and in useful ways (e.g., using a currency conversion formula to determine the price of an object) including retrieving and applying separate strands of retained knowledge as needed to successfully perform tasks (i.e., this is working memory, a critical executive function skill).

Ability to Analyze and Evaluate (Critical Thinking) -  Students demonstrate increasingly sophisticated analytical and evaluation skills and a disposition toward critical thinking including the ability to: 

Ability to Create and Innovate (Synthesis) - Students demonstrate the ability to create and innovate by building on existing knowledge to create innovative, imaginative, and ingenious solutions to problems and propose new and original works, organizational structures, theories, explanations plans and designs:

Ability to Concentrate - Students demonstrate understanding of the importance of attentiveness and the ability to concentrate (i.e., give focused, intense, undivided attention) in class and while studying by avoiding distractions and focusing on the task of learning

Perceptive and Observant - Students demonstrate perceptiveness, keen observation skills, and discernment while reading, listening and watching. They pay attention to detail, noting anomalies or inconsistencies, asking questions to resolve doubts and discovering connections and patterns in seemingly unrelated events

Openness - Students demonstrate open-mindedness by their willingness to: 1. Listen to and consider divergent and opposing viewpoints and alternative ideas and approaches; and 2. Challenge and re-assess their own assumptions, beliefs and conclusions and, where appropriate, adapt to new circumstances, adopt a different perspective and alter their conduct to achieve a desirable result.

Intellectual Integrity - Students demonstrate intellectual integrity by: 1. Being sincere (i.e., not using knowledge or argumentation skills to assert or defend positions they don’t sincerely believe); and 2. Their willingness to admit errors or logical weaknesses and change their beliefs and positions in response to new evidence or arguments

Intellectual Independence - Students demonstrate the trait of intellectual independence by thinking for themselves, rather than adopting thoughts and values of peers or other external sources without critically evaluating their merit.

Intellectual Humility -  Students demonstrate the trait of intellectual humility by accepting the possibility that: 1. There is often more than one right answer; 2. What they think they know might be incorrect or incomplete; and 3. Their judgments as to the weight assigned to certain information might be distorted by conflicts of interest, prejudices and attitudes.

Pursuit of Wisdom - Students appreciate and seek wisdom (an advanced mental competence that combines intelligence, experience and common sense to create the ability to make wise and sound judgments that reflect a deep understanding of facts, opinions, theories and human nature).

Rational Decision Making - Students demonstrate the ability to apply various decision-making strategies and employ a rational process that avoids rationalizations and elevates logic over emotions and facts over feelings including:

Ethical Decision Making - Students demonstrate the ability to evaluate the ethical dimension of their choices and a commitment to make ethical decisions.

Effective Decision Making - Students demonstrate the ability to the effectiveness of their choices.

Best Possible Result - In making decisions and solving problems seek to achieve the best possible result by choosing a course of conduct that is legal, ethical and effective (i.e., it accomplishes desired results efficiently and avoids unintended consequences that undermine the outcome or create new problems).

Traits and Attributes - Students identify and accept who they are, including their dominant personality traits (e.g., outgoing or introverted, timid or bold) and they accurately assess their physical, mental, emotional and moral attributes (including strengths they can build on and weaknesses they can improve).

Emotions and Their Impact - Students identify and understand the emotions they experience, the sorts of situations that cause them, and how their emotions influence their actions.

Values, Beliefs, Attitudes and Mindsets - Students identify and understand their core values (i.e., what is really important to them), beliefs, opinions, attitudes and mindsets that influence their feelings and actions.

Self-Acceptance - Though students are committed to continuous selfimprovement, they are sufficiently comfortable “being themselves” to resist peer or other external pressure to change into someone they are not and don’t want to be.

Capacity to be a Change Agent - Students demonstrate the ability to accurately assess current conditions (i.e., the way things are) and the ability to envision how things could be better (i.e., the way things ought to be) and they recognize their capacity to be a positive change agent in their families, school, community and the world.

Positive Concept of Happiness and Success - Students adopt a positive concept of personal happiness and success that goes beyond wealth, status, and fun. Students experience happiness and feel successful when they

Expressing Emotions - Students demonstrate the ability to express positive and negative emotions at appropriate times and in appropriate ways that strengthen their relationships and advance their goals.

Self-Discipline - Students demonstrate the trait of self-discipline (i.e., will power) by: 1. Doing what they need to do without procrastination or excuses; and 2. Overcoming urges for immediate gratification and refraining from doing things they want to do that could have long-term negative consequences (e.g., eating unhealthy foods, using alcohol or drugs).

Controlling Negative Emotions - Students recognize and resist negative emotions (including ongoing feelings of depression or anxiety and spontaneous urges and impulses) that impair their judgment, make them unhappy or could lead them to engage in self-defeating, unhealthy, unethical or illegal conduct.

Coping Strategies - Students demonstrate a basic understanding of and an ability to apply proven strategies to help them endure, cope with, manage or eradicate durable negative emotions (including persistent negative thinking, stress, anxiety and depression) that can cause suffering, impair judgment, or jeopardize relationships

Self-Improvement - Students are committed to continuous self-improvement and believe they can improve their social and emotional skills and their chances of being happy and successful by identifying and eliminating bad habits, strengthening weak attributes and developing positive traits such as self-discipline, perseverance, resilience, optimism.

Social Awareness - Students demonstrate social awareness by:

Empathy - Students experience and display the trait of empathy (the disposition and ability to sympathetically understand and personally identify with the emotional states, needs and feelings of others) by consoling, comforting, calming, supporting and encouraging others.

Remorse - Students understand the importance to relationships of feeling and expressing sincere remorse to those they have wronged. They accept responsibility and apologize for injuries and offenses caused by their actions and they seek to make amends.

Positive Relationships - Students seek to establish and maintain healthy, positive, mutually gratifying personal relationships with their teachers, classmates and others as a source of support, comfort, companionship, and intellectual stimulation.

Effective Communication - Students demonstrate the ability to send, receive and correctly interpret information, ideas, thoughts, desires and needs by both verbal and nonverbal communication methods including the ability to be assertive without being offensive or arrogant.

Leadership - Students demonstrate the ability to build trust, inspire confidence, generate motivation and positively influence the beliefs and behaviors of individuals and groups by the use of reasoned argument, persuasion, inspiration, negotiation and setting an example. Leadership skills include the ability to encourage and empower others with constructive criticism and timely praise, organize groups and build teams, mediate conflicts, build consensus, and understand and articulate the thoughts of a group

Collaboration and Teamwork - Students demonstrate the ability and willingness to pursue common goals as part of a team, constructively participate in cooperative learning, and communicate effectively in cross-cultural and multi-lingual settings with diverse styles, views and backgrounds.

Conflict Management - Students demonstrate the ability to employ strategies to anticipate, avoid and de-escalate conflicts and formulate and implement peaceful resolution of disputes.

Executive Function - Students demonstrate executive function, the ability to employ a multitude of crucial academic, social and emotional skills in performing tasks, sometimes in new and chaotic settings.8

Diligence - Students derive pleasure and pride from a job well done by pursuing excellence in all they do. They acknowledge it is their duty and responsibility to do their very best while valuing the importance of effort, taking education seriously, following through on commitments, and working hard.

Self-Confident - Students demonstrate confidence in their abilities and inner resources to succeed and endure difficulties, failures and other forms of adversity. In social situations they are assertive and willing to state their opinions despite the risk of disapproval, criticism, or rejection.

Initiative and Action - Students demonstrate the ability to motivate themselves to begin a task and to independently generate ideas, responses, or problem-solving strategies.

Positivity - Students demonstrate the trait of positivity by choosing to be relentlessly optimistic, enthusiastic, hopeful and cheerful. Students sustain their positive outlook based on the following beliefs:

Gratitude - Students demonstrate the trait of gratitude by consistently identifying, experiencing and expressing thankfulness for the good things in their lives (i.e., they count their blessings) and they invariably and graciously express gratitude for gifts, favors, compliments and services received. (e.g., positive people see the glass as half full and grateful people are thankful for the half they have rather than resentful about the half they don’t).

Perseverance - Students demonstrate the trait of perseverance by continuing to perform their responsibilities and pursue their goals with vigor and tenacity despite frustrations, mistakes, setbacks and other obstacles that make their task difficult or seem impossible. They resist temptations and pressures to give up or quit, choosing instead, to persist as long as they are able.

Resilience - Students demonstrate mental resilience by drawing on their positivity and inner strength to muster the courage to bounce back and try again with confidence and optimism despite major disappointments, failures and misfortunes (including the pain and grief of personal traumas and tragedies). Students also deal positively with failure and learn from adversity (See A2.2)

Forgiveness - Students recognize that resentments, regrets and grudges diminish their ability to enjoy their lives and can prevent them from moving forward. They demonstrate the ability to forgive the person who wronged them and let go of their negative feelings so they can get on with their lives.

Flexibility - Students recognize the potential of unexpected and undesirable changes in circumstances that can cause distress and hinder their ability to perform (e.g., a new teacher in the middle of a semester, a death or divorce in the family) and they demonstrate the traits of adaptability and flexibility by adjusting their attitudes, approaches or actions in order to cope with and get the best possible result from the new situation.

Time-Management - Students know basic principles of organizational and time-management strategies and use these strategies to manage their responsibilities effectively and efficiently.

Goal-Setting and Planning - Students demonstrate the ability to formulate and prioritize short-term and long-term school, career and life goals and specific objectives to help them reach their goals and they make specific and realistic plans to achieve their goals.

Organization - Students demonstrate the ability to organize their work and possessions (e.g., notebooks and school papers, their lockers) in an orderly and efficient manner to enhance their productivity, efficiency and success.

Technology Literacy - Students demonstrate competence in the ability to choose, learn and safely and ethically use various current and emerging technologies to communicate socially and professionally, conduct research, acquire diverse perspectives and gain new knowledge and skills that will enhance their analytical and critical thinking skills.

Financial Literacy - By the time they graduate high school, students demonstrate a basic understanding of basic financial transactions and the complexities of responsible management of their financial resources, and the value of being prudent, skeptical and well-informed when making significant financial decisions especially if they involve borrowing money or living beyond their means.

Components of Good Character - Students understand that good character consists of attributes reflecting positive moral values, traits, dispositions, habits and attitudes and that their character (i.e., what they are inside) will define them, shape what people think of them (i.e., their reputation) and determine how they are likely to act (e.g., will they be generous or indifferent to a person in need, kind or cruel to a person who made a mistake, honest or devious in dealing with others?).

Importance of Character - Students understand that good character is more important to success, meaningful relationships, self-respect, and the esteem of others than other commonly valued attributes including intelligence, beauty, talent, money, and status. Character not only defines who they are, it determines their future.

Responsibility for Character - Students understand that their character is a product of their values and choices (the formation of their character lies in their own hands). Students accept and demonstrate personal responsibility to create and improve their character by conscientious efforts to strengthen their commitment and adherence to ethical values and principles.

The Six Pillars of Character® - Students understand that ethical beliefs and actions are the foundation of good character (i.e., character is ethics in action) and they seek to develop and display the virtues and traits arising from universal ethical values referred to as The Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Good Citizenship.

Knowledge of Ethical Concepts and Terms - Students understand that the concepts of character and ethics refer to principles that establish standards of right and wrong that define morality and prescribe how a good person should behave. They believe that:

Integrity - Students demonstrate integrity by adhering to ethical principles, acting honorably and assuring that there is consistency between their beliefs, words and actions. They safeguard their integrity and demonstrate their character by exercising the moral courage to do the right thing even when it is difficult or detrimental to their relationships, social standing, careers or economic well-being (i.e., they do the right thing even when it costs more than they want to pay).

Honest Communications - Students recognize the central role honesty plays in generating trust and they demonstrate their honesty in their communications in three ways:

Honest Actions - Students demonstrate honesty by honoring the property rights of others (they do not steal) and playing by the rules in sports and other activities (they do not cheat).

Belief That Honesty Pays - Students believe that honesty and integrity will help them succeed in school and life and strengthen their relationships; they reject common rationalizations, justifying lying and cheating as false and short-sighted (e.g., one has to lie or cheat in order to succeed, everyone cheats, it’s only cheating if you get caught).

Promise-Keeping, Reliability, Dependability - Students demonstrate trustworthiness by being reliable and dependable (i.e., being a person others can count on), being cautious about making promises and commitments and conscientious about keeping the promises and commitments they make.

Loyalty - Students demonstrate trustworthiness by being loyal, standing up for, being there for, and being faithful to their friends, family, school and country. Proper demonstrations of loyalty include not disclosing embarrassing information or secrets confided in them in trust (unless keeping the secret could result in serious harm) and refraining from gossip that could hurt feelings or damage reputations or relationships. Loyalty is not an excuse to justify lying or other unethical conduct.

Treating Others With Respect - Students understand that they are not morally required to respect everyone in the sense of holding them in high esteem, but they are required to treat everyone with respect regardless of their personal assessment of the person’s character or worth (e.g., we treat criminals with respect, not because they deserve it, but because of who we are).

The Golden Rule - Students understand the universal “Golden Rule” (do unto others as you would have them do unto you) and apply it as a standard of respect.

The Basics of Respect - Students demonstrate respect by:

Respectful and Kind School Climate - Students demonstrate respect by seeking to create and support a kind, caring emotionally and physically safe and respectful school climate. They refrain from and discourage others from engaging in violence, threats, intimidation and other conduct intended or likely to cause physical injury, emotional pain, humiliation, embarrassment, shame or a feeling of being left out or excluded. This includes:

Respecting Privacy - Students demonstrate respect by acknowledging and honoring each other’s right to privacy and personal space, including the right to determine whether, how and when information about their personal lives and thoughts will be revealed (e.g., it is disrespectful to read another’s diary, look through their back pack, hack their Facebook page, or eavesdrop on their conversations).

Respecting Autonomy of Others - Students demonstrate respect by acknowledging and honoring the desire and right of others to govern themselves (i.e., autonomy), make decisions about their lives and be free from oppressive and offensive behavior and unwanted interference in their lives. Students demonstrate respect for the autonomy of others by:

Compliance: Doing What Is Required - Students accept responsibility to do what they are required to do by their parents, teachers, coaches and other adults who have legitimate authority to regulate their conduct and by the students’ own promises and commitments.

Ethics: Doing What Should Be Done - Students accept responsibility to do what they should do based on their personal values and universal ethical principles including The Six Pillars of Character® (Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Fairness and Citizenship).

Consequences for Their Words - Students accept responsibility for the consequences of what they say, recognizing that their words can have serious and lasting impact on others (e.g., insults can impact self-image and revealing secrets can destroy relationships) and they demonstrate this responsibility by seeking to affirm, support and encourage others rather than humiliate, discourage or demean them.

Consequences for Their Actions - Students accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions and inactions, recognizing obligations to: 1. Foresee and avoid harmful outcomes, including unintended but predictable consequences; 2. Help others in need (e.g., charity); and 3. Protect others from harm or abuse (e.g., stand up for a student who is bullied).

Developing and Using Positive Attitudes and Life Skills - Students acknowledge their responsibility enhance their chances of success in school and life, the quality of their relationships and their own well-being and happiness by:

Self-Reliance and Prudent Money Management - Students demonstrate the trait of self-reliance by striving to live independently, relying on their own resources, capabilities, judgment, and emotional strength, rather than depending on others to do things for them or tell them what to think or feel. To achieve self-reliance, students:

Learning From Experience - Students accept their responsibility to review and learn from all experiences and to hold themselves accountable to determine what they could have done differently that would have improved the result and what they should do in the future.

Rational and Reflective - Students demonstrate responsibility by being rational (using reason and logic to make or justify decisions) and reflective (i.e., thinking ahead to anticipate the consequences of choices and thinking back to draw lessons from what happened) and use critical thinking and decision-making skills to avoid rationalizations and excuses and make rational, prudent choices.

Healthy Choices - Students demonstrate responsibility by making healthy choices to protect their well-being by eating well, getting sufficient sleep and exercise and by refraining from the use of illegal drugs and other intoxicating or mind-altering substances; abusing prescription drugs; using alcohol or tobacco; engaging in cutting or other self-abusive practices, over-eating, anorexia, bulimia, etc

Basic Dos and Don’ts of Fairness - Students: 1. Take turns. 2. Play by the rules. 3. Give due credit to others. 4. Ask for and take only their fair share. (i.e., what is due you).  Students Don't: 1. Claim credit for the work of others. 2. Recklessly or falsely blame or accuse others; and/or 3. Take advantage of another’s mistakes or ignorance

Making Fair Decisions - In making decisions that affect others, students demonstrate the trait of fairness by: 1. Being open minded and objective; 2. Giving everyone affected by a decision the chance to tell their side of the story; 3. Considering the merits of all evidence relevant to a just resolution; 4. Being impartial; and 5. Consciously setting aside personal feelings (bias or favoritism) that might interfere with objectivity.

Proportionality - Students understand that the principle of fairness requires that imposed consequences for misconduct is proportional to the harm caused (i.e., the more serious the harm, the more serious the consequence) so that “the punishment should fit the crime” (it’s neither too lenient nor severe).

Complexity of Fairness - Students demonstrate the ability to identify alternative theories for determining what is or is not fair in the way benefits and burdens are distributed.

Basic Do’s and Don’ts of Caring - Students accept their moral duty to be caring and demonstrate caring by:

Caring Moderates Other Ethical Duties - Students understand that the virtue of caring frequently interacts with other ethical principles requiring them to be careful that:

Understand and Appreciate Civil Rights - Students understand and appreciate the rights embodied in the concepts of freedom and liberty embodied in the Constitution and Bill of Rights including:

Understand and Fulfill Civil Responsibilities - Students understand and strive to fulfill the responsibilities of citizenship including a duty to abide by the law and respect the rights of others, participate in the democratic process, protect the environment, and volunteer to improve their school and community. They also understand additional responsibilities of adult citizenship including paying taxes and serving on juries.

Respect Authority and Obey Laws -  Students demonstrate good citizenship by contributing to the orderliness and fairness of society by respecting authority, obeying rules and laws (unless a higher moral duty justifies civil disobedience) and taking action (including reporting) to protect fellow citizens from dangerous or harmful conduct.

Participation in the Democratic Process - Students demonstrate good citizenship by staying informed about matters important in their school and community so they can formulate thoughtful positions, passionately advocate for their beliefs, engage in respectful and informed discussions, vote intelligently, and, if they choose, seek elected or appointed leadership positions.

Improving School Climate - Students demonstrate good citizenship by promoting and modeling responsible, respectful, caring, honest, and fair conduct to create and maintain a safe and positive school climate where all students feel physically and emotionally safe, cared for, and respected.

Safeguard the Environment - Students demonstrate good citizenship by proactively engaging in conduct that conserves natural resources (e.g., recycle and re-use, using water and fuel conservatively) and protects the natural environment from unnecessary destruction and all forms of pollution.

Welcoming and accessible 

Respectful and supportive relationships

High expectations and standards (culture of excellence)

Growth mindset

Participatory decision-making

High staff morale

Parent involvement

Student engagement

Staff consensus and commitment

Administrator presence and participation

Inspires commitment to vision - 

Establishes a strategic plan - 

Effective and efficient management - 

Trust and confidence of constituents - 

Regular communication - 

Disciplinary rules, policies and strategies -

Security regarding outside threats - 

Emergency preparedness - 

Detect and deal with weapons, drugs and alcohol - 

Prevention of dangerous physical conditions - 

Attractiveness and maintenance of physical plant - 

Instructional areas conducive to learning - 

Adequate physical space in classrooms -

Adequate resources for instruction and co-curricular activities - School has adequate learning and co-curricular activity resources to achieve educational objectives.

Assessment of the learning environment Students, their families, school staff and community stakeholders are regularly surveyed and are asked to indicate what the school should do to further enhance a welcoming, positive, supportive and safe learning environment. The data is used to improve relevant policies, practices and school facilities.

Asking questions;

Self-directed reading and research

Exploration and experimentation.

Increase their basic intellectual abilities (i.e., intelligence), including the learning and thinking skills enabling them to master new and difficult concepts

Develop life skills, personal attributes and moral virtues that enhance success in all aspects of their lives. (e.g., self-discipline, self-awareness, empathy, initiative, positivity, perseverance, resilience, integrity, responsibility)

Adopt positive attitudes and reject negative emotions and mindsets.

Failing Forward - Students understand the concept of “failing forward,” the idea that there are lessons to be learned from every experience and that this new knowledge will help them succeed the future. Students always ask themselves: “What can I learn from this?”

Persistence - Students understand that persistence, patience and self discipline are often necessary to learning and they are willing to work hard and struggle when necessary to attain success

Remember facts, lists, procedures and methods (e.g., the correct spelling of words, the boiling point of water, benefits of a good education, and the formula for determining volume).

Correctly identify and label (e.g., name shapes, identify from multiple options the correct statement of Aristotle’s Golden Mean). 

Develop a substantial vocabulary and correctly state definitions of terms, the content of theories and wording of rules (e.g., define a hypotenuse, state rules of grammar).

Working Memory. Students utilize their thinking skills which focus on memory-in-action while utilizing memory recall during relevant activities and on-going tasks and making application of the acquired knowledge.

Restating, paraphrasing, explaining and summarizing facts, definitions, methods, rules, theories and concepts (including the ability to prepare and deliver explanatory and persuasive arguments and presentations)

Drawing distinctions and perceiving differences and similarities (i.e. comparing and contrasting) in images, terms, concepts and theories

Understanding the literal meaning and the implications of information conveyed in all forms of nonfiction writings including expository (e.g., textbooks, diagrams, and graphs) and purely functional documents (e.g., bus schedules, instruction manuals, schematics, blueprints)

Interpreting the literal and symbolical meaning of various forms of literary (fictional) writing

Illustrating or simplifying information with pictures, diagrams, charts and graphs

Translating verbal material to mathematical formula or visual representations (and vice versa)

Organize, classify, and categorize information;

Identify the organizational structure, component parts and essential elements of written and oral communications and creative works;

Identify and take in account factors that might affect the accuracy and validity of their own personal beliefs and conclusions;

Challenge, question and test the accuracy and validity of recommendations, claims and assertions by identifying and taking into account: a) internal inconsistencies; b) logical flaws; c) unproven or unstated assumptions; d) the existence of contradictory evidence and opinions; e) the currency and pertinence of data and; f) factors that bear on the objectivity and reliability of the sources of information (e.g., credentials, prejudice, bias, attitudes, motivations, and conflicts of interest); 

Evaluate the relevance and weight assigned to specific evidence or arguments by: a) distinguishing between facts, opinions, speculations, and feelings and; b) considering the expertise, personal knowledge, character and credibility of the source;

Identify and describe strengths and weaknesses and constructively express informed evaluative judgments (i.e., criticism) concerning the merit of oral communications (e.g., speeches, debates), writings (e.g., news reports, editorials, research studies), performances (e.g., acting, singing) and artistic works (e.g., sculptures, paintings, symphonies).

Students demonstrate originality and an ability to “think outside the box” to devise fresh and unique ideas to solve problems and to create something that is new or unusual by: a) re-classifying, re-categorizing, re-organizing and rearranging information; b) assembling, combining, integrating and reconciling divergent theories and approaches; c) supplementing existing theories and explanations with new perspectives or approaches

Students demonstrate an ability to apply creative approaches and solutions to Real situations in a Practical manner

Students demonstrate the ability to use their imaginations and employ various creative thinking techniques (e.g., brainstorming, mind-mapping) to generate ideas and innovations to improve current practices or develop wholly new approaches;

Students demonstrate the desire to continually improve their creations by reflecting on and evaluating the effectiveness of their decisions and the quality of their work and they demonstrate a willingness to make changes to achieve better results.

Identifying long-term and short-term objectives;

Devising alternative courses of action to achieve the objectives;

Foreseeing potential consequences to each person or group effected by the decision (i.e., stakeholder);

Choosing the course of action most likely to produce the optimum (i.e., best possible) result;

Monitoring the effectiveness of the decision and making adjustments necessary to achieve the objectives.

Students demonstrate discernment, the ability to choose the best course of action in terms of ethical principles and discipline, the strength to do what should be done even when it is difficult, risky or personally costly;

Students understand that they are morally and legally accountable for the consequences of their decisions (including a decision not to decide);

Students evaluate their options in terms of core ethical principles (e.g., honesty, loyalty, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, kindness and good citizenship) and they eliminate any option that is either illegal or unethical;

Students understand that in situations where ethical principles clash (e.g., their grandmother gives them an ugly sweater, the ethical principle of honesty conflicts with the ethical principal of kindness) the best possible result is to choose the option likely to create the greatest good for the greatest number in the long run.

Students believe that an effective decision accomplishes the desired result without causing unintended and undesirable consequences.

Students believe that an effective decision, accomplishes the desirable result with the least amount of time and resources (i.e., it is efficient).

Students monitor their emotions including their tendency to impact the way they interpret and respond to situations, opportunities and challenges; (e.g., fear or insecurity could cause them to negatively interpret an offer of help),

Students recognize and guard against a tendency to exaggerate in their own minds the severity and duration of the consequences of mistakes, embarrassing moments, failures, rejections and other negative events (e.g., “I can never face them again.” “They will hate me.” “Everyone thinks I’m stupid.”).

Students who experience severe mental states that result in prolonged depression and /or the possibility of harming themselves or others know to seek help from trusted adults or mental health professionals.

Count their blessings so as to experience and express gratitude for all the things in their lives that give them comfort, pleasure, pride or joy;

Derive pleasure and pride from their achievements;

Pursue their full potential (self-actualization) by acquiring knowledge and wisdom, creating fulfilling personal relationships and engaging in activities that broaden their horizons and enrich their minds;

Finding value and gratification in selfless service and making a positive difference in the lives of others.

Students seek and constructively receive positive and negative feedback and demonstrate the ability to alter their attitudes and behavior in response to valid criticism;

Students learn from their mistakes and failures.

Demonstrating the ability to identify what another person is feeling (e.g., happy, sad, disappointed, confused, angry) what another person intends or wants (e.g., whether an offensive comment was accidental or malicious; when a person is seeking approval) and are able to “read between the lines” and extract unstated messages conveyed by the words chosen, the tone of voice, facial expressions, body language, silence, and other nonverbal cues (e.g., knowing someone is upset even when they insist they are fine);

Demonstrating an understanding of how the unique backgrounds, experiences, values, ideologies, and characteristics of individuals influence the way these individuals interpret and react to events and communications;

Accurately assessing how they are perceived by others (e.g., they can tell whether they are valued, trusted, respected, liked);

Perceiving the reaction of others to their statements and own nonverbal communications;

Recognizing when a friend requires adult help to cope with severe emotional distress.

Students demonstrate a willingness to alter their attitudes and conduct when necessary to reduce or prevent disharmony, generate respect and trust, and increase intimacy (provided such changes do not require them to compromise their values or integrity);

Students understand that meaningful and lasting friendships often require unselfishness patience, understanding, acceptance and loyalty.

Students understand that there can be no success without action and that they must be bold, proactive and decisive in the pursuit of their plans, goals, dreams and responsibilities;

Students do not procrastinate.

Students believe that a positive attitude produces positive results – positive people are more likely to achieve their goals, feel successful, have good relationships, have better health and live longer than those with negative outlooks;

Students believe that happiness is a state of mind not a circumstance or fact; (i.e., if they think they are happy, they are) and that “nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” (Shakespeare);

Students believe that there are positive aspects (i.e., the silver lining) in all experiences and that they can characterize any experience in terms of its positive aspects (e.g., after a fire destroying most of his possessions, a positive person can feel genuinely fortunate and grateful that no one was hurt).

There is a difference between universal ethical values (beliefs about virtue and morality consistent across time and cultures) and personal ethical values (personal beliefs about right and wrong that are not universal because people of character disagree on whether they establish ethical duties for everyone (e.g., beliefs that certain behaviors are immoral -- nudity, gambling, drinking, hunting));

Ethical duties (i.e., moral obligations) are different from, and sometimes more demanding and important than, legal duties. For example, civil disobedience (the deliberate and open violation of the law, such as defying laws requiring segregation based on race) is an expression of an ethical duty. 

Ethics are different than values. Values is a much larger concept embracing all forms of deeply held beliefs that determine what is right and wrong. To behave ethically is to behave in a manner consistent with what is right or wrong. Ethics refers to standards of conduct and how a person should behave.

Truthfulness. Students are truthful; everything they say is true to the best of their knowledge (i.e., they do not lie);

Sincerity. Students are sincere. This means they always convey the truth as best they can by avoiding all forms of accidental or intentional deception, distortion or trickery (e.g., it is dishonest to tell only part of the truth in an effort to create a false impression or deliberately omit important facts with the intent to create a false impression);

Candor. Students know that certain relationships (e.g., parent-child, teacher-student, best friends) create a very high expectation of trust. In these relationships, honesty requires them to be candid and forthright by volunteering information to assure that they are conveying the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (e.g., a student who accidentally spills soda on a school computer must voluntarily tell the teacher without being asked; a student who breaks her mother’s favorite vase must tell her mother voluntarily).

Being civil, courteous, and polite (i.e., they use good manners);

Refraining from offensive and disrespectful profanity, insults and gestures;

Listening respectfully to others even if they think what’s being said is wrong or foolish;

Paying attention to the well-being of others and striving to make them feel comfortable and welcome;

Learning about and treating with respect the customs and traditions of people who come from different cultures.

They refrain from and discourage others from engaging uwelcome physical touching (i.e., they keep their hands to themselves);

They refrain from and discourage others from engaging cruel, unkind or deliberately hurtful or embarrassing gossip;

They refrain from and discourage others from engaging in physical or cyber bullying, harassment, and mean-spirited teasing or taunting.

Students demonstrate respect for the autonomy of others by: 1. Taking the desires, opinions, perspectives, values and goals of others seriously;

Students demonstrate respect for the autonomy of others by: 2. Refraining from repetitive arguments, tirades, rants, insults, ridicule, manipulation or coercion trying to cause others to change their opinions or actions;

Students demonstrate respect for the autonomy of others by: 3. Providing others with the information they need to make informed judgments about their own lives rather than concealing the information to advance their own goals or to shield them from potential bad choices (e.g. Suppose an old boyfriend of your best friend gives you a note to give to your friend but you think it would be a terrible idea if your friend started communicating with him again – the principle of autonomy says you should deliver the note.).

Consciously choosing positive attitudes and mindsets (including optimism, enthusiasm, gratitude, and cheerfulness) and rejecting self-defeating attitudes (e.g., pessimism, cynicism, defeatism, and hopelessness) See SE 2.6;

Developing critical self-management, social and success skills traits (SE2, SE3, SE4) including: self-discipline, resiliency, perseverance, stress management, organization and time management, planning and goal-setting, initiative, flexibility, poise, patience, communication, collaboration and an uncompromising commitment to excellence.

Manage their affairs so they can pay their own way and not be a burden on others;

Live within their means, avoiding debt and other obligations that may be beyond their ability to satisfy or generate unhealthy pressure.

Dos - Students: 1. Take turns. 2. Play by the rules. 3. Give due credit to others. 4. Ask for and take only their fair share. (i.e., what is due you).

Don'ts - Students Don't: 1. Claim credit for the work of others. 2. Recklessly or falsely blame or accuse others; and/or 3. Take advantage of another’s mistakes or ignorance

Being kind, compassionate and empathetic to everyone (even those who don’t seem to deserve it);

Expressing support and sympathy at appropriate times in appropriate ways;

Being charitable in judging others by assuming good intentions and by being forgiving and merciful;

Being charitable to causes and individuals;

Not being a) cruel; b) indifferent or apathetic; c) callous; and d) unforgiving.

Honesty is not causing them to be unnecessarily hurtful or offensively blunt;

In seeking to impose justice, they do not miss opportunities to be merciful and forgiving;

While respecting another’s privacy, they do not condone or ignore dangerous and harmful conduct;

Their sense of responsibility is proportionate to their actual level of authority and moral duty and that they do not ignore their own needs. 

Freedom of speech and religion

The right to vote and run for elected office

The right to be treated fairly under the law

Students understand the special role that civil disobedience plays in the democratic process and the extraordinary conditions that must exist to justify unlawful conduct;

Students set an example of rule following for their peers even when it is inconvenient (e.g., returning their shopping carts, abiding by the 10 item or less rule in markets).

Students exercise their civil rights fairly and responsibly. They examine and evaluate political claims and allegations to determine for themselves what is true and they maintain an open mind so they can objectivity assess the political positions of others;

Students maintain an open mind (i.e., a willingness to be persuaded) and demonstrate a willingness to re-examine their own positions and objectively consider the arguments and beliefs of others.

Students personally refrain from, and discourage others from, all forms of bullying and other forms of mean and unkind conduct.

Students do their share to make their school a clean, attractive, and comfortable place to learn and grow.

Take turns

Play by the rules

Give due credit to others

Ask for and take only their fair share

(Don't) Claim credit for the work of others

(Don't) Recklessly or falsely blame or accuse others

(Don't) Take advantage of another’s mistakes or ignorance