Program Description

"CHARACTER COUNTS! uses its Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship as a foundational strategy while using the TEAM approach and incorporating other character education best-practices. Besides promoting a focus on a positive school climate, other defining elements of CHARACTER COUNTS! are intensive decision-making strategies, mindfulness, growth mindset, and behavioral change theories. CHARACTER COUNTS! practical strategies produce positive results in the academic, social, emotional, and character development domains."

Cost

Program components sold individually

Intended Population

• Core

Grade

• Elementary School
• Middle School
• High School

Intended Group Size

• School

ELL/DLL

• Partial

Multisensory Applications

• Yes

Computer-Based Delivery

• Partial

Scripted

• Instructor Scripted

Comprehensive or Skill Specific

• Comprehensive

Placement Tests

• Yes

Accelerated Learning

• No

Assessment to Monitor Skills Mastery

• No

Error Correction Built In

• No

Fidelity Measures Provided by Publisher

• Yes

Research Summary

A literature review revealed two research studies and a doctoral dissertation investigating the impact of the CHARACTER COUNTS! program on student outcomes. Overall, the studies reported that teachers implementing the program in their classrooms noticed positive changes in students, noting a reduction in negative student behavior, increase in helping behavior, increase in student engagement, and an increase in use of the program-specific language. However, these findings were based on self-reported surveys, and student receiving the program were not compared to a control group. Therefore, due to the methodology of the studies found, there is insufficient evidence to support the efficacy of CHARACTER COUNTS! at this time.

Study Citations

Harms, K., & Fritz, S. (2001). Internalization of character traits by those who teach character counts!. Faculty Publications: Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communication Department, 32.. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1031&context=aglecfacpub

Rouse, J. A., (2008) Character counts! incentive program : implementation and evaluation. Graduate Research Papers. 1427.. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/grp/1427

Wiebers, J. A. (2001). An Evaluation of CHARACTER COUNTS! SM Character Education Activities in Relationship to the Behavior of Elementary School Children in Sullivan County Tennessee.https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=3360&context=utk_gradthes

What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Report

• No studies met WWC inclusion criteria

Evidence Base (ESSA)

• No studies met inclusion requirements

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

• Insufficient evidence