Evening star., 1925-10-18
BY MILTON FAIRCHILD
Chairman. u. s. A. Character
Education Institution.

" HE French minister of educa-
ton has accepted the invita-
ton of the United States Char
i acter Education Institution to
cooperate in discovering by
research how to give effective charac-
ter education in public schools. France
has had moral education in her schools
for Is years, and has Il basis of expert
ence on which to give advice to Amer
lean educationists. The United States
State superintendents of education
have combined to form the Character
Education institution. Washington,
through which they have been doing
for several years careful research
work on the problems of character
education in public schools. The board
of trustees includes officers from the
Federal Bureau of Education, the pub
lie schools of Washington, the Ma
tional Educational Association, the Ma
tional Congress of Mothers and Teach
ers and the National Research Coun-
Gil
A children morality code has been
worked out to guide the teachers in
deciding what moral ideas to inculcate.
Tentative plans for school work for
character development have been out
lined, and are being experimental with
by selected teachers to prove, before
advocating, that general use Of them
will get desirable results in the lives
Of the children.
$4,000 Work Done.
This research work has been going
on for the last 10 years. About S20,-
600 Of work was necessary to per
feet the morality code, and much
more than that amount has been spent
on planning how the schools can
succeed in helping the homes bring
the children up right. The leaders of
this movement for effective character
education in schools are opposed to
| urging the schools of the Nation to
adopt any plan until 1t has been
proved by careful school experience
to be effective.
Washington is one of the cities
III which experiments are being
| made. Supt. Ballou has appointed
4 character education committee.
which has agreed on certain plans to
be tried out, and Is teachers have
been selected and furnished materials
for the experiments.
State committees for this research
work have been appointed by State
superintendents in some 20 States
and the result is assured that in a
| few more years the various States
will have character education work
conditions. Some of the energy which
teachers now give to geography, his
cory and mathematics will be assigned
| 10 character education work In
! all bability the plans will not in
clude formal lessons in morals. which
are too dry to have influence. but
| will include classroom club work. the
morality code, character projects and
reports to parents on character devel-
| opment.
Pleased With Collaboration.
The officials of the United States
| Character Education Institution are
| greatly pleased to have cola boration
| with France established. because this
| will enable its plans to be improved
by study Of results of research in
| France.
The morality code and these tenta
| tive plans will be translated into
| French and submitted to the French
| ministry of education for criticism
and advice and for experimental test
| ing in French schools NJ Lapie,
director of primary instruction in
| the French ministry of Educa-
ton, in his letter of September 2s
| agreeing to cooperation. says: Il
| realize how near the American and
French ideals are to each other. NV
| bureau will be hanpy to enter into
| working relations with the United
| States Character Education Institu.
| ton.
| The French minister of education
| NJ. de Monzie. has consulted with the
| German secretary of state about inter
! national good will through education,
| nd has assured Germany that al.
| ncitemenls, if any exist in the French