Smart & Good High Schools: Integrating Excellence and Ethics for Success in School, Work, and Beyond

"Smart & Good High Schools" is a national study of American high schools—including site visits to 24 diverse schools, hundreds of interviews, a comprehensive research review, and the input of a National Experts Panel and a National Student Leaders Panel. The report offers a vision of educational excellence and nearly 100 promising practices designed to foster human flourishing over a lifetime. The research draws two major conclusions: first, there is national consensus regarding the need for character— doing our best work, doing the right thing, and living a life of purpose. And second, "Smart & Good High Schools" educate for character—both performance character and moral character. The "Smart & Good High Schools" report defines performance character and moral character in terms of 8 strengths of character and describes promising practices, drawn from our study, for each of these developmental outcomes.