How do children become moral people, and what role do schools have in that process? In this conversation, Ethics Center Executive Director Kirk O. Hanson discusses the issues with Director of Character Education Steve Johnson

Kirk O. Hanson: Steve, let me begin with a simple question: What is character education?

Steve Johnson: Schools have always been interested in three kinds of outcomes:
1. skills—what our students are able to do
2. knowledge—what they know
3. character—the kind of people they become

Sometimes character is talked about in terms of citizenship. When I was in school, we used the term deportment. But whatever we call it, as educators, we've always been interested in building positive, productive citizens.