Heartwood Institute : Summary of Evaluation Research on the Heartwood Ethics Curriculum for Children

Summary of Evaluation Research on the Heartwood Ethics Curriculum for Children

Heartwood Institute has a long-standing commitment to research and has been the subject of several evaluation studies, including a pilot program in 79 classrooms in the Pittsburgh public schools, a study conducted by Research for Better Schools (Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Division of Federal Programs), a pilot program in General McLane School District in Edinboro, PA, and an extensive study directed by Dr. James Leming of Saginaw Valley State University, a leading scholar and researcher in character education evaluation.

Dr. Leming’s study included reviews by experts and controlled studies of schools and classrooms in Pennsylvania and Illinois. It resulted in several reports and publications as well as recommendations that guide Heartwood’s continuing work (see below). This study also resulted in a doctoral thesis by James E. Antis, An Evaluation of the Effects of a Character Education Program on the Ethical Understanding, Ethical Sensibility, and Ethical Behavior of Elementary Children, 1997, Duquesne University.

Articles and Reports
“Experiencing Character Education: Student and Teacher Voices” by James Leming and Diane Yendol-Hoppey in Journal of Research in Character Education, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2004. Read summary of article.

“A Five Year Follow-Up Evaluation of the Effects of the Heartwood Ethics Curriculum on the Development of Children’s Character,” by James S. Leming, Saginaw Valley State University and Diane Yendol Silva, University of Florida. July 20, 2001. Read summary of study.

“Tell Me a Story: An Evaluation of a Literature-based Character Education Programme,” by James Leming, Southern Illinois University, Journal of Moral Education, Vol. 29, No. 4, 2000. Read summary of study.

“An Evaluation of the Heartwood Institute’s ‘An Ethics Kit for Children’,” by James S. Leming, Astrid Henricks-Smith and James Antis, presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, March 1997 and revised April 2000. Read summary of study.

An Evaluation of the Heartwood Institute’s “An Ethics Curriculum for Children: Final Report,” by James Leming, August 10, 1998. Read summary of study.

Evaluation of the Heartwood Program, Research for Better Schools, prepared by Joan L. Butram, Janice Kruse and Jennifer Sidler, 1992. Contact Heartwood for more information.

Heartwood Program Pilot Year Evaluation, Pittsburgh Board of Public Education, prepared by Marina Piscolish, Research and Evaluation Coordinator, 1990-1991. Contact Heartwood for more information.

Evaluation Instruments
Instruments developed for the above evaluation studies that you can download and use in your school or classroom.