Community 2020
Character Education and Community Development for the 21st Century
The Certificate Program in Character Education and Community Development (CECD) prepares professional educators to develop effective citizens for the 21st century. Unlike most character education programs, the CECD program highlights the powerful interaction of the twin processes of developing personal character and developing community. Character education and community development are deeply interconnected processes.
Global travel, migration, commerce, and communications are rapidly diversifying the social contacts each person participates in, and depends upon. In the 21st century, for the vast majority of America's population, the neighborhood, workplace, school, market and playground will be diverse—culturally, ethnically, religiously. How can character education and community development prepare citizens for this global intermingling of cultures, peoples, and religions?
In light of policy mandates calling for character education through such statements as: "Principles such as respect, responsibility, caring, trustworthiness, justice, civic virtue and citizenship determine the character of our people and the tenor of the society in which we live." (Michigan State Board of Education) How do we understand and apply such principles in a context of profound diversity and global citizenship? What attitudes and skills are needed to truly be able to demonstrate "respect" or "caring" or "civic virtue" in a rapidly changing world?
Child Development Centered Community
The CECD program envisions child development centered communities as the foundation for educating effective 21st century citizens. Child development centered community builds a framework of relationships which strive to value, involve, and harmonize all the important character education factors in the community: parents, children and youth, teachers, and other community members.
A child development centered community:
• views each child as filled with gems of potential and all children as capable of learning;
• understands that each child has a capacity for noble deeds, high aspirations, and meaningful service to others;
• strives to nurture and encourage the capacity for noble deeds in children and youth as powerful means for developing lasting positive character qualities and building healthy vibrant communities;
• places child development at the center of community activities as a priority and strives to systematically foster broadly-based, grassroots collaboration in child development;
• values and empowers families as the foundation of child development, and encourages and assists parents in their primary role in guiding the development of their children and youth;
• affirms the role of the teacher as a highly significant contributor to the moral, ethical, and intellectual development of children and youth and also to the authentic, ethical, and sustainable development of the community;
• seeks a dynamic, constantly evolving and improving character education program which sparkles with grassroots activities that involve parents, children, youth, and community groups working together within a framework of "unity in diversity";
• recognizes that the attitudes and skills needed in this century will emphasize capacities for consultative problem-solving, collaboration within a context of diversity, service to communities with diverse peoples and needs;
• seeks meaningful participation of community members in the evaluation of the character education programs that affect them.
