We can build character in Wisconsin kids

I refuse to accept that humans can perform heart transplants, build a space station and create beautiful art such as the Mona Lisa but cannot stop the hideous destructiveness of bullying by children and adults. We wag our finger over heart-wrenching stories such as the boy from Glendale who was bullied to suicide then we move on to the next shiny object.

Unfortunately, he’s not the first nor will he be the last if we don’t take this problem seriously.

Don’t believe people who insist that higher math and reading scores are the answer. They have the cart before the horse.

Here is how to get this right. Do it, and the academic scores will quickly follow.

Drilling the multiplication tables will not help lonely, desperate children or develop a world-class workforce. What we need to do is encourage character where it exists and grow it where it is lacking. This must be a concerted effort — from parents to legislators— using the school system as the delivery mech-

anism.

Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, including the ill-conceived notion that we simply cannot judge individuals or hold people to high standards, far too many people do not take character building seriously.

In its October newsletter, the Wisconsin Association of School Boards published an article by Shelby Anderson, noting that the South Milwaukee school district considers “the importance of respect, responsibility, determination and a gritty ability to overcome situations” as the keys to high performance and an enjoyable school environment. That district is a National School District of Character. Others, including journalist Alan Borsuk, the Brookings Institution, and educators, such as developmental psychologist Thomas Lickona, have confirmed the importance of such characteristics.

Wisconsin is a national leader in character education. And we must propel what we’ve learned across the country.

First, we must realize that failing to pay attention to character is a serious problem.

Second, we must send leading teachers from each school to the nonsectarian Leadership Academy for Character Education at Alverno College.

Third, these teachers must be allowed to implement what they have learned.

Here’s what they will learn: How to model and promote high-quality leadership; incorporate a shared mission of beliefs and values, develop a strong sense of community, stimulate high academic expectations; and have an agreed upon set of expectations and practices.

A 2014 Department of Public Instruction report found, “It is the values, beliefs and social norms that define a school culture. The school culture, in turn, is a strong determinant of student achievement.” To which I would add: A mean-spirited, discouraging school will never produce proficient students.

Lickona, writing in Psychology and Education-An Interdisciplinary Journal, has documented that bullied students have both academic and socio-emotional problems. Furthermore, bullies often have or develop problems in their school relationships and with the law.

Schools don’t need big classrooms or expensive computers or Olympic-size sports fields to do this. They do need administrators and teachers who feel empowered to speak up and get the training they need.

Early next year, legislators will take up Senate Bill 329 and Assembly Bill 419, which would authorize DPI to award grants for professional development in character education. At that time, legislators will have a chance to help create kind and conscientious students and schools.

And they, in turn, can create a nation that we could credibly call virtuous.