"The nature and structure of belief systems is important from the perspective of an informational theorist because beliefs are thought to provide the cognitive foundation of an attitude. In order to change an attitude, then, it is presumably necessary to modify the information on which that attitude rests. It is generally necessary, therefore, to change a person's beliefs, eliminate old beliefs or introduce new beliefs."

— Richard Petty and John Cacioppo
Attitudes & Persuasion

ASCA School Counselor 2004
Lee Kaiser and Katie Sutliff

Over the past few decades, a quiet revolution has taken place in education. Trends like cooperative learning and buzzwords such as "student-centered instruction" have become part of the lexicon of teaching. They are no longer considered just theories or even innovations. Instead, they are the commonly agreed-upon best practices of the educational world. To borrow from an all-too-frequently-used phrase, the paradigm has shifted.

Now, learning is measured in terms of student progress. Teaching happens when students work together and form partnerships. Classroom communities are intentionally designed. Teachers act as facilitators as they guide students on their educational journeys. Meaning is discovered; ideas, creativity and critical thinking are being nurtured just as the traditional basics of reading, writing and arithmetic always have been.

Character education programs, however, have been slower to tap into this line of thinking. Administrators and teachers, already overtaxed, are putting in countless hours to create interesting and relevant ways to teach character, but faculty and staffs can be intimidated by having one more thing to do and can get frustrated when the process is slow, difficult -- and often draining. Despite their best efforts, administrators, parents and teachers can be left with a sense that the character education initiative isn’t working and wondering, "What can we do to move this process forward?"