Nurturing Decent Human Beings: The Case for Moral Education in Our Schools

The education we provide our children is most likely to determine whether or not we nurture in the next generation a commitment to the common good, civility, and truth. Surveys consistently indicate that a majority of Americans believe its schools should help students embrace such values and lead lives that contribute to the common good. Indeed, we all have a vested interest in seeing that our schools are successful in nurturing good human beings.

Why, then, is there no national commitment to moral education? This silence leaves to chance the kind of person and society we will have in the future. Moral education in our schools is currently inconsistent, frequently unacknowledged, even controversial.

Making use of research and his experiences as an educator, the author analyzes why we are in this situation, why it must change, and how we can change it. His goal is to engender dialogue that will help put this role of education on the national agenda and reconfirm the transformative potential of education.

As teachers have always known, schools are not just about academics. Nurturing decent human beings is a task that pertains to every school, whether public, private, religious, or non-religious. The focus of the book is on K - 12 education, but one chapter is devoted to colleges.

In laying out his vision, the author

- defines the scope and content of moral education

- identifies common ground for moral education in these divisive times and addresses potential objections from conservative, liberal, and religious perspectives

- outlines what schools need to take into consideration in approaching moral education purposefully and successfully

- examines the role of schools in treating controversial issues

- evaluates what can be said for and against the view that religious schools would be better at moral education

- discusses the benefits for individuals, society, and education if moral education is successfully and widely implemented.

The case for moral education stems from the following considerations: (1) values, including moral ones, necessarily play a role in our schools, (2) success in this role depends on acknowledging and planning for it, and (3) sufficient common moral ground can be found that would allow all schools openly and purposefully to take on this role, at the same time as they avoid rigidity and authoritarian approaches.

The author's approach is based on an understanding of moral theory and psychology that is appropriate for a school setting, separates morality from religion, makes use of rule and virtue-based concepts of morality, and addresses the rational, emotional, and behavioral sides of students. Although the book calls for national commitment to moral education and proposes general parameters, it maintains that each individual school must design its approach in accord with its own particular circumstances and needs. There is no one size that fits all.

The book is essential reading for educators, parents, and all those concerned about the values of the next generation and the future of the country.