Character Is Fundamental to Measuring Success

To the Editor:

In response to “For Schools, Rating Students’ Character Is a Tricky Prospect” (May 31, 2017), I’m delighted to see a recognition of the real growth needs of students by schools entering the character domain. In character development, parents are the primary teachers and the home the primary classroom, and I salute these schools that start involving parents. There is nothing tricky about rating character—it just requires a more comprehensive evaluation process that includes social, emotional, and intellectual growth.

As the founder of the Hyde Organization, a network of character-based public and private schools, I know thousands of alumni and parents who would be amused at calling character a “soft skill.” To them, evaluating students just by academic grades is like trying to make the tail wag the dog. Character is the whole; academics are a subset.

See Also

Social Studies Revising America's Racist Past How the ‘critical race theory’ debate is crashing headlong into efforts to update social studies standards.

Joseph W. Gauld

Founder

The Hyde Schools

Bath, Maine