For the past eight years, a group of educators in the Central Valley of California have organized a voluntary evaluation of moral education programs in elementary and middle schools. The Values and Character Recognition Program was inspired by the For Character Program described by Wynne of the University of Illinois, Chicago, in a 1985 visit to Fresno. Each year schools in the metropolitan area receive an application form asking them how they address a series of openended questions related to enhancing moral and character education.
Participation is voluntary.
The selection connnittee evaluates the consistency of responses and the quality of activities provided for students in each school. The program recognizes exemplary local schools where practices and emphases have been planned to enhance the moral thinking and behavior of students. To ensure validation, a team of reviewers screens all applications and chooses the finalists. Separate teams of validators then make site visits to each of the schools to obtain firsthand confirmation that the written data are in operation. Each of the schools returning the application is expected to demonstrate through its responses, and at the time of the follow-up site visit, evidence of performance in each of five broad areas.