Culture and Character Education in a Jewish Day School: A Case Study of Life and Experience

This article addresses how to teach character comprehensively by studying ways a school's concurrent curricula (the official curriculum, the operational curriculum, the extra curriculum, and the hidden curriculum) can be used to teach character to students. A single case study analyzes the curriculum at a Jewish day school by examining school documents and records, observing classroom instruction and school culture, and interviewing school administrators and teachers. This research concludes that the Jewish day school teaches character comprehensively through a religious foundation—from which the entire curriculum evolves. The study indicates that addressing character education through religious studies, school traditions, and school culture will enable both public and private schools to fully integrate character education into the school program.