George Lucas Educational Foundation
Edutopia

Character Education

Learn how to help children develop traits like initiative, perseverance, and empathy to be successful and contribute positively to their communities.

  • How to Promote Social, Emotional, and Character Development

    There’s no need for funding or special training to bring these approaches and strategies into your classroom right away.
    Maurice J. Elias

  • Creating a Learning Environment Where All Kids Feel Valued

    A five-step exercise on identity and belonging helps middle school students appreciate differences—in themselves and in their peers. 
    Shana V. White

  • Building a School Like a Tight-Knit Family

    At Springfield Renaissance School in Massachusetts, strong bonds between teachers and students drive academic success.
    Chelsea Sheasley

  • Making Students Feel Safe

    A trauma-informed approach ensures that students feel safe, supported, and nurtured—to improve their chances of academic success. 

  • Weekly Circles for Students and Faculty

    See what happens when students and faculty participate in regular meetings to build trust and promote deeper learning.

  • Getting Their Hands Dirty

    Experiential learning—like making incense sticks in factory conditions—teaches kids about real social issues.

  • 13 Powerful SEL Activities

    Build social and emotional skills into any class.
    Emelina Minero

  • Rejecting the ‘Mean Girl’ Framework

    Ideas for guiding girls toward positive interactions with each other.
    Laura Thomas

  • SMART Goal Setting With Your Students

    SMART goals are specific, measurable, action-oriented, rigorous, and tracked. Help your students develop them through a series of ongoing peer interviews.
    Maurice J. Elias

  • Strategies to Build Intrinsic Motivation

    Encouraging student commitment ultimately brings better results than the external motivations of reward or punishment. These seven self-persuasion strategies will get you started.
    David Palank

  • The Benefits of Teaching Ethical Dilemmas

    Teaching ethics can not only help students become better decision-makers, but it can also help develop crucial academic and social and emotional competencies.
    Laura Lee

  • Motivating the Unmotivated

    A group of elementary or middle school students are unruly, disrespectful, and underperforming academically and socially in the classroom. They do not appreciate the value of education. The teacher, despite good intentions and passion, is viewed as an adversarial or irrelevant authority figure. The students are unwilling to participate in tutoring or traditional mentoring programs. So what can be done?
    Chelsea Dale

  • Why Students Plagiarize

    One teacher addresses plagiarism by examining the underlying causes such as a lack of confidence or time management skills.
    Allison Berryhill

  • Why Teaching Kindness in Schools Is Essential to Reduce Bullying

    Phrases like "random acts of kindness" and "pay it forward" have become popular terms in modern society. It seems there are good reasons why we can't get enough of those addictive, feel-good emotions, as scientific studies prove there are many physical, emotional, and mental health benefits associated with kindness. As minds and bodies grow, it’s abundantly clear that children require a healthy dose of the warm-and-fuzzies to thrive as healthy, happy, well-rounded individuals.
    Lisa Currie

  • Restorative Justice: Resources for Schools

    Explore resources and case studies that demonstrate how to bring restorative justice to your school or classroom.
    Matt Davis