Chapter 1: Character and Citizenship Education in Alberta Schools

The document asserts that schools play an important role alongside families in character and citizenship education, and schools do not solely teach academic skills. Character and citizenship education is an effort to cultivate core values that the society values. The key goals of character and citizenship education include:

• a climate of respect for self and others
• the attributes of active citizenship
• higher academic achievement
• improved interpersonal relationships
• greater self-discipline
• fewer behavioural problems
• a continued focus on safe schools
• a positive school culture
• enhanced employability skills (pg. 3)

Character is defined to include personality traits, emotions, social skills, behaviors, and cognitions that are valued universally. Citizenship includes identity, political literacy, observance of rights and duties, values, and general intellectual skills. Both character and citizenship education are interrelated, and it is important for schools to teach both.