NAIS/IGE Schools of IntegrityInitiative:
Many NAIS secondary schools are actively creating ethical learning communities, where core values are at the foundation of all academics and the goal is to graduate responsible global citizens. While these schools pride themselves on academic achievement, they are frequently distinguished by their rich, values-driven cultures. Attention to the moral, ethical, and values-based dimensions of their students was often a motivating impetus in establishing these schools.
How do exemplary schools achieve this balance of the academic and the ethical? Are there common underlying strategies that can be identified and replicated? What’s worked in developing the most successful ethical cultures within schools, and how can other independent schools benefit from these successes? Thanks to the generosity of the John Templeton Foundation and the The Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund, the Institute for Global Ethics and NAIS have been able to examine exemplary school communities to produce a report of best practices for all NAIS members.
NAIS association members and upper school heads in the U.S. and Canada were contacted for recommendations of exemplary schools. Recommendations for schools were based on a rubric of broad qualitative criteria regarding the school’s atmosphere, student interaction, innovations and programming, current reputation, and general legacy. After identifying the ten schools, IGE and NAIS embarked on a study of each school to gather information about what has contributed to their success in balancing attention to ethics and academic rigor. Information from these schools was gathered primarily through interviews and focus groups on site during Spring of ’05 and Spring of ’06.
Based on the results of this on-site work, IGE and NAIS staff are currently shaping a report on NAIS Schools of Integrity. The report will be submitted to the NAIS Board of Trustees for approval and publication, and will then take its place among the “best practices” resources NAIS offers its secondary school constituents. To follow on this important work, NAIS and IGE will plan next steps for a comprehensive implementation and assessment plan, ensuring that the report is a starting point for real and effective action regarding the level of ethical literacy in NAIS secondary schools.
Founded in 1990, the Institute for Global Ethics (IGE) is an independent, nonsectarian, nonpartisan, international nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ethical action in a global context. IGE helps organizations including schools explore the global common ground of values, elevate awareness of ethics, and provide practical tools for making ethical decisions and for building moral courage. Headquartered in Camden, Maine, IGE also has affiliates in London, England and in Vancouver, Canada. IGE’s mission is to promote ethical behavior in individuals, institutions and nations through public discourse, practical action and ethics. Since the department began in 1995, IGE Education has worked with school leaders, teachers, parents and young people in countries around the world. Their focus is on research and services that deepen and expand knowledge about “Ethical Literacy™”: the language and skills needed to tackle tough ethical problems in an increasingly complex world. IGE Education’s work is strengthened through collaboration with national and international education organizations such as NAIS.
For more information, contact Paula Mirk, vice president for education.
© 2006 Institute for Global Ethics
