A new initiative is turning the volume up on the conversation about what it means to cultivate good character, and why it matters now more than ever.
The Australian Catholic University (AEU) has joined forces with Bacchus Marsh Grammar to launch The Neal Institute of Character Education, which will explore how a values-based education can nurture empathy, resilience and ethical decision-making.
What defines good character?
Educational philosopher Dr Kylie Trask-Kerr is leading the initiative, which she says offers a unique opportunity to investigate how character education influences student outcomes.
“I would define good character as the development of the virtues and dispositions that enable a person to live well and contribute to the common good,” Dr Trask-Kerr told The Educator. “It is about becoming someone who can act wisely, justly and responsibly in the world.”
Dr Trask-Kerr said character education is shaped less by theory and more by what students consistently experience and practise at school.
“From an Aristotelian perspective, character is formed through habit, practice, reflection and relationships,” she said. “Schools teach it not only through what they say, but through the environments they create, the conversations they foster, and the ways students learn to engage thoughtfully with others and the world around them.”
At its core, she said, character is shaped by the everyday habits and choices students make as they engage with others and the world around them.
“Students develop character through reflection, responsibility, ethical decision-making, and meaningful engagement with others and with the world.”
What matters most is being overlooked
Dr Trask-Kerr pointed out that while many Australian schools are already nurturing character in thoughtful ways, through their curriculum, pastoral care, values education, service, co-curricular life and the everyday culture of the school, a real gap lies in how young people understand the purpose of school.
“Our research shows that, although students do think schooling shapes their values to some degree, they mainly understand school in terms of credentialling and economic outcomes,” she said.
“That creates a gap in how the broader purposes of education are perceived and valued, and it can detract from the more formative dimensions of schooling, including the development of reasoning, reflection, moral understanding and ethical judgment.”
Dr Trask-Kerr said the irony is that when education is reduced to jobs and credentials, schools often overlook the very skills that help young people thrive and succeed in life.
“Qualities such as sound judgment, reflection and ethical discernment are central both to flourishing and to navigating life well in a complex society.”
Character education deepens meaning in school
Dr Trask-Kerr said Aristotle’s idea of flourishing is as important as any other core subjects.
“Aristotle would argue that everything we do ultimately aims at flourishing, or ‘eudaimonia’, because eudaimonia is pursued for its own sake,” she said.
“In this sense, the question is not whether flourishing is more important than core subjects, but how those subjects contribute to the larger task of helping young people learn how to live well. Flourishing is about becoming someone who can reason well, act well, relate well to others, and participate meaningfully in community and the world.
Dr Trask-Kerr said said character education strengthens those aspects of school life that help young people live well in the world.
“It can deepen students’ sense of purpose and their awareness of their impact on others, society and the world itself,” she said.
“In a complex world, we need young people who can think carefully, act responsibly and contribute to the common good. That is very much the work we are beginning with Bacchus Marsh Grammar.”
Dr Trask-Kerr said the ACU are working with the school to research those aspects of the curriculum and of school life that already nurture character, and to build a strong evidence base around how that formative work happens in Australia.
“In my view, character education should not be tacked on to an already very full curriculum but realised and strengthened through the curriculum itself.”
School culture drives character, not just lessons
Deputy Principal Andrew Perks, who is responsible for culture and character education at Bacchus Marsh Grammar, said schools can foster the development of good character through a blended, three-tiered approach in which character is caught, taught, and sought.
“Character may be explicitly taught through structured curriculum, incorporating elements such as virtue literacy, an understanding of the Golden Mean, and the foundational domains of character; intellectual, moral, civic, and performance virtues,” Perks told The Educator. “However, character education need not exist as a discrete subject.”
Perks said embedding character development across everyday teaching helps students explore ethical ideas in different situations, building their ability to make good decisions at the right time and for the right reasons.
“Character is further cultivated through what is caught: the modelling of virtuous behaviour by staff and the establishment of a positive school culture in which such behaviours are recognised and celebrated,” he said. “Finally, character is sought when students are provided with opportunities to explore, reflect, and be challenged.”
Perks said character development also depends on giving students meaningful opportunities to practise and strengthen these values beyond the classroom.
“Enrichment programs play a key role in this process, supporting the formation of personal habits and commitments that, over time, empower students to actively pursue their own character development.”
This is where real growth happens
Perks said character education fosters the social, moral and cultural development of pupils and prepares them for the challenges and responsibilities they will inevitably encounter in their future lives.
“Character education establishes a stable foundation for a school, its students, and its wider community, enabling the development of an environment conducive to human flourishing,” he said.
“It supports students in realising their full potential by enhancing academic performance through the cultivation of key character traits and virtues, including perseverance, resilience, discipline, and courage.”
Furthermore, says Perks, character education strengthens emotional intelligence by fostering self-awareness, empathy, compassion, and kindness.
“In doing so, it empowers students to become responsible and engaged citizens, equipped to make sound ethical judgements within a complex social context,” he said.
Character education is critical to individual excellence, critical for societal flourishing, and can be taught.”