News
The Center for Study of Ethical Development joins collaboration with UK Jubilee Centre and Harvard University
Representatives from the following organizations attended the prestigious workshop on Character and Flourishing for the leading character education centers and organizations in the US at Harvard University (Newsletter link):
Representatives from the following organizations attended the prestigious workshop on Character and Flourishing for the leading character education centers and organizations in the US at Harvard University (Newsletter link):
- Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues
- Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture
- Harvard University
- The University of Tulsa
- Texas Tech University
- Centre for Character and Citizenship (UMSL)
- Centre for the Study of Ethical Development (Alabama)
- Program for Leadership and Character (Wake Forest)
- Principled Innovation (ASU)
- Boston College
- The Human Flourishing Program (Harvard)
- Coalition for Life Transformative Education
- The Kern National Network for Flourishing in Medicine
- Positive Psychology Centre (Pennsylvania)
- Character.org
- St Marys University
- Character Lab
- Kern Family Foundation
- Belmont University
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We are pleased to announce our successful participation in the 5th Annual Higher Education Character Convening Conference held in Pensacola in May 2024. Our team from the University of Alabama represented multiple works and projects, presenting very impactful projects.
The conference provided a valuable opportunity to share insights, foster collaborations, and explore innovative approaches to character education in higher education. We look forward to continuing our participation in future conferences and furthering our mission to advance ethical development in education. |
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2023 Communities Cultivating Character Conference A Success
The Communities Cultivating Character Conference was held at the Bryant Conference Center in Tuscaloosa Alabama on September 25-27, 2023, and was a huge success. Over 200 participants enjoyed keynote and invited talks from the following:
Clifton Taulbert- Entrepreneur, Global Lecturer, and Pulitzer Nominated Author
Dr. Brenda Mendiola- University of Alabama and a panel of educational leaders:
Dr. Heath Grimes- Superintendent, Russellville City Schools, Russellville, AL
Dr. TaShara King- Principal, I3 Academy, Birmingham, AL
Dr. Jimmy Shaw- Superintendent, Florence City Schools, Florence, AL
Detra Gilliam- Character Education teacher, Edgewood Elementary, Homewood, AL
Dr. Benjamin White- Assistant Clinical Professor, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
Laurie Presley- Principal, Taylorville Primary School, Tuscaloosa, AL
Michele Rogers- Counselor, Huntington Place Elementary School, Tuscaloosa, AL
Dr. Marvin Berkowitz, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Center for Character and Citizenship
Dr. Hank Staggs, Principal, Crieve Hall Elementary School, Nashville, Tennessee
Dr. Tad Savage, Assistant Director of Accelerating Character Education and Development at NIET, St. Louis, MO
Dr. Erin Schulte, Coordinator of Counseling and Character Education for the Parkway School District, St. Louis, MO
Drayton Nabors, Co-founder, Hope Institute, Birmingham, AL
Liz Huntley, President and Co-founder, Hope Institute, Birmingham, AL
Hope Institute Fellows:
Dr. Antonio Cooper
Dr. John Lowry
Dr. Alicia Hunsberger
Walter Maddox - Tuscaloosa Mayor
Dr. Eric Mackey - Alabama State Superintendent
Together with a host of breakout presenters and all participants, the speakers listed above advanced the character initiative for cultivating character in Alabama and beyond. The conference created opportunity for education professionals and other interested parties to talk, network, and advance the momentum for cultivating character in communities.
The conference was organized by the University of Alabama Leadership for Character group in the College of Education , in collaboration with the Hope Institute, Samford University Orlean Beeson School of Education, and the University of West Alabama.
The Communities Cultivating Character Conference was held at the Bryant Conference Center in Tuscaloosa Alabama on September 25-27, 2023, and was a huge success. Over 200 participants enjoyed keynote and invited talks from the following:
Clifton Taulbert- Entrepreneur, Global Lecturer, and Pulitzer Nominated Author
Dr. Brenda Mendiola- University of Alabama and a panel of educational leaders:
Dr. Heath Grimes- Superintendent, Russellville City Schools, Russellville, AL
Dr. TaShara King- Principal, I3 Academy, Birmingham, AL
Dr. Jimmy Shaw- Superintendent, Florence City Schools, Florence, AL
Detra Gilliam- Character Education teacher, Edgewood Elementary, Homewood, AL
Dr. Benjamin White- Assistant Clinical Professor, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
Laurie Presley- Principal, Taylorville Primary School, Tuscaloosa, AL
Michele Rogers- Counselor, Huntington Place Elementary School, Tuscaloosa, AL
Dr. Marvin Berkowitz, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Center for Character and Citizenship
Dr. Hank Staggs, Principal, Crieve Hall Elementary School, Nashville, Tennessee
Dr. Tad Savage, Assistant Director of Accelerating Character Education and Development at NIET, St. Louis, MO
Dr. Erin Schulte, Coordinator of Counseling and Character Education for the Parkway School District, St. Louis, MO
Drayton Nabors, Co-founder, Hope Institute, Birmingham, AL
Liz Huntley, President and Co-founder, Hope Institute, Birmingham, AL
Hope Institute Fellows:
Dr. Antonio Cooper
Dr. John Lowry
Dr. Alicia Hunsberger
Walter Maddox - Tuscaloosa Mayor
Dr. Eric Mackey - Alabama State Superintendent
Together with a host of breakout presenters and all participants, the speakers listed above advanced the character initiative for cultivating character in Alabama and beyond. The conference created opportunity for education professionals and other interested parties to talk, network, and advance the momentum for cultivating character in communities.
The conference was organized by the University of Alabama Leadership for Character group in the College of Education , in collaboration with the Hope Institute, Samford University Orlean Beeson School of Education, and the University of West Alabama.
Updated Norms for Defining Issues Test (DIT2-2023)
We are pleased to inform DIT users, scholars, and researchers all over the world that the normative information for the DIT2-test has been updated after 14 years.
Moral reasoning development: norms for Defining Issue Test-2 (DIT2)
Author(s): Nahide Gungordu, Ghasim Nabizadehchianeh, Erin O’Connor, Wenchao Ma, and David I. Walker
Access through Journal of Ethics & Behavior
New open-access studies (2023):
1. "Validating the behavioral Defining Issues Test across different genders, political, and religious affiliations" click here to download the paper
Author(s): Hyemin Han
2. "Moral reasoning and moral competence as predictors of cooperative behavior in a social dilemma" click here to download the paper.
Author(s): RubénAndrés Miranda‑Rodríguez, Iwin Leenen, Hyemin Han, Germán Palafox‑Palafox & GeorginaGarcía‑Rodríguez
Position Announcement: PhD Studentship in the Educational Psychology Program, at the University of Alabama – College of Education
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Leadership for Character Professional Learning Units
Leadership for Character Education, funded through the Kern Family Grant, has began offering opportunities for educators to earn professional learning units through the grant. Educators will learn about character education and what it looks like to exhibit this through a leader's lens. Below are two workshops currently being offered. It you're interested in learning more about Leadership for Character click here.
Superintendent's Academy PLU
Theme: Wise Leaders Cultivating the Character of Students
This professional learning opportunity was created for prospective school superintendents. Currently, 35 participants are enrolled in the professional learning. The study focuses on the understanding and development of virtues and the result of a virtue ethics approach to leadership. Participants advance their understanding of how school leaders create a culture of character through an examination of practical wisdom.
CLAS PLU
Theme: Leaders Building Schools of Character
This professional learning opportunity was created for prospective school administrators and current school administrators. Currently, 32 participants are enrolled in the professional learning. The study focuses on the role of the school leader in establishing a school community of character. Additionally, participants explore the interplay of theory and practice as key features of practical wisdom for leaders and use this newfound knowledge and insight to develop their own plan for developing a school of character.
SSA PLU
The State Superintendents of Alabama (SSA) organization will be hosting character education professional development sessions in Fall 2021.This study will focus on the understanding of a virtue ethics approach to leadership. Research supports a positive direct relationship between character and academic success and well-being. Participants will advance their understanding of how school leaders create a community of a character through a virtue ethics approach to leadership. Participants will explore virtue ethics leadership's theory to aid them in developing a plan for creating a community of character in their school district.
Superintendent's Academy PLU
Theme: Wise Leaders Cultivating the Character of Students
This professional learning opportunity was created for prospective school superintendents. Currently, 35 participants are enrolled in the professional learning. The study focuses on the understanding and development of virtues and the result of a virtue ethics approach to leadership. Participants advance their understanding of how school leaders create a culture of character through an examination of practical wisdom.
CLAS PLU
Theme: Leaders Building Schools of Character
This professional learning opportunity was created for prospective school administrators and current school administrators. Currently, 32 participants are enrolled in the professional learning. The study focuses on the role of the school leader in establishing a school community of character. Additionally, participants explore the interplay of theory and practice as key features of practical wisdom for leaders and use this newfound knowledge and insight to develop their own plan for developing a school of character.
SSA PLU
The State Superintendents of Alabama (SSA) organization will be hosting character education professional development sessions in Fall 2021.This study will focus on the understanding of a virtue ethics approach to leadership. Research supports a positive direct relationship between character and academic success and well-being. Participants will advance their understanding of how school leaders create a community of a character through a virtue ethics approach to leadership. Participants will explore virtue ethics leadership's theory to aid them in developing a plan for creating a community of character in their school district.
Funded Opportunities for M.A. in Character Education (through Kern Family Foundation)
The Kern Family Foundation are offering fully funded scholarships for students living and working in America to study on the Masters in Character Education. The Masters is a three year distance learning course run by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham in the UK. The programme is made up of six taught modules and a dissertation focussing on the theory and practice of human flourishing. You can find out more about the programme here: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/courses/distance/edu/character-education.aspx.
Please contact Paul Watts via email ([email protected]) if you would be interested in finding out more about one of the fully funded places on the Programme starting October 2020.
Please contact Paul Watts via email ([email protected]) if you would be interested in finding out more about one of the fully funded places on the Programme starting October 2020.
The Center for the Study of Ethical Development is awarded a grant of $2.5m
from the Kern Family Foundation to develop character through school leadership in Alabama
Core Team: PI - Dr. David Ian Walker (Educational Studies, Educational Psychology)
Co-PI’s - Dr. Brenda Mendiola and Dr. Yvette Bynum (Educational Leadership Department), Felicia Simpson
We are pleased to announce that this project to develop character through school leadership in Alabama started in January of 2020. Through collaboration with the Educational Leadership program and UA’s Superintendent’s Academy (SA), the project will prepare and support new administrators, principals and future educational leaders to apply a virtue-ethics approach to character development in schools, emphasizing the pursuit of student flourishing as the rightful purpose of education. The program will span four and a half years, and is designed to have a long-term positive impact on K 12 character education in Alabama.
Co-PI’s - Dr. Brenda Mendiola and Dr. Yvette Bynum (Educational Leadership Department), Felicia Simpson
We are pleased to announce that this project to develop character through school leadership in Alabama started in January of 2020. Through collaboration with the Educational Leadership program and UA’s Superintendent’s Academy (SA), the project will prepare and support new administrators, principals and future educational leaders to apply a virtue-ethics approach to character development in schools, emphasizing the pursuit of student flourishing as the rightful purpose of education. The program will span four and a half years, and is designed to have a long-term positive impact on K 12 character education in Alabama.
New Network for Research on Morality (NRM) (April 2019)
In April 2019, the steering committee met at Miami University to inaugurate the new network with a symposium on morality and science. This included Director of Center for the Study of Ethical Development – Dr. David Walker. (See photo below.)
Talks are available here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/6086515
What is NRM?
Network for Research in Morality (NRM) is an interdisciplinary organization, with members from many disciplines, including psychology, philosophy, education, sociology, medicine, law, history, and business.
Since its founding in October, 2018, over 140 scholars have already joined the NRM. The purpose of the NRM is to encourage and support interdisciplinary research that can support and enrich moral development, understanding and education.
Further information and requests to join NRM (currently operates as a listserv network) may be made to:
Professor Blaine Fowers ([email protected]), Department of Educational and Psychological Studies, Miami University
Photo (from left to right: President Julio Frenk, Barry Schwartz, Blaine Fowers, Catherine Darnell, David Walker , Ken Goodman, Joe Michalski)
Launch in London of 'soldiers of character' research results, using the new Army Intermediate Concept Measure. (October 2018)
Presentation of Army Research at Royal United Services Institute London.